When It All Changed
by emmoliv
Summary: You can't run from your fate. Most people know that. So what will happen to Juliette Walters when she decides to leave the town of Mystic Falls, trying to escape hers? Was it her fate to end up in New Orleans? Most of all, will the fate she ran away from finally catch up with her?
1. Chapter 1: Vampire Smile

Living in Mystic Falls wasn't easy. It was a small town, it was secluded, and nothing ever happened. _Ever._ But the worst part; Everyone knew _everyone._ If you weren't in the same class as someone, you were certainly related to them or friends with them. Or, they were friends with your family. This meant that you never got to know someone new, and you were stuck with the same people for the rest of your life. Unless you got out of this hellhole.

Which, luckily, was what I intended to do.

"Juliette? You've spaced off again." Caroline waved her hand in front of my face, and I snapped out of my daze. My best friend was glaring at me. She had certainly been going on about Matt again.

"Sorry. I'm just bored." I muttered in reply, shutting my locker.

"Thanks. Here I am, spilling out my heart to you, and you're _bored._ " Caroline's voice was sarcastic and she turned away from me, just as she always did when she was mad with me. I sighed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Not with you. I'm bored with life… Don't you ever want to just get out of here?" I told my blonde friend, making a dramatic swing with my arms to motion to the crowded hallway. Caroline relaxed and gave me a tired and serious look.

"Come on Julie, we've talked about this. We have to finish highschool, and then you can get out of here."

"Are you _really_ going to stay here for the rest of your life, Care?" I asked my friend, holding her eyes while she shut her locker. The impact made her perfect blonde curls bounce.

"No! Of course not. But I won't run away as soon as I graduate. I'm the sheriff's daughter." I opened my mouth to intervene, but Caroline's eyes widened as she looked behind my shoulder.

"Oh my God. There's Elena. I have to go and see how she is." She said with her gossip voice, sounding _wayyyy_ to happy judging by what had happened to Elena earlier in the summer. I sighed and followed Care as she waltzed over to her friend.

"Elena! Oh my God!" She threw herself at Elena and engulfed her in a hug, while I waved awkwardly at Elena's friend Bonnie. "How are you? It's so good to see you." Caroline's voice was filled with pity, and I had to suppress the urge to facepalm. I knew Care really cared, but she had a very strange way of showing it.

"Hi." I mumbled to Bonnie and Elena when an awkward silence settled between us. Caroline looked at me like I was behaving scandalously, so I gave her a questioning look.

"How is she? Is she good?" She then added, speaking directly to Bonnie and skipping Elena. I elbowed her gently in the side, and this time she was the one who looked at me like I was crazy.

"Caroline, I'm right there. And I'm fine, thank you." Elena answered Caroline's question.

"Really?"

"Yes. Much better." The brunette shrugged, but I heard that she wasn't telling the truth. What can I say, I'm pretty good at reading people.

"Oh you poor thing." Caroline did a pout and hugged Elena once more, who mumbled her name in an annoyed tone. Meanwhile, I was doing everything not to watch the scene, since it was way too awkward for me. After checking out Tyler Lockwoods beautiful… behind, I settled for picking my nails.

"See you later?" Caroline _finally_ gave up trying to get information out of Elena, and I waved a goodbye before following my friend towards our first classroom for the day.

* * *

"I think I'm going to spend some more time with Elena and Bonnie this year." Caroline was looking at her two friends, and I rolled my eyes.

"You know I don't like them, Care…" I muttered in reply, picking at the disgusting food in my plate. It looked like someone had vomited on some pasta and then poured ketchup all over it to cover the taste. It tasted like that too.

"We both know that's a lie. You just don't like getting to know new people." My blonde friend pointed her fork at me accusingly and did an exaggerated raise of her eyebrows to prove her point.

"Can you blame me? Everyone's the same in this town." I pouted and pushed away my plate for good. I was _not_ going to eat that.

"Thank you." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "How do you know that if you never get to know anyone?"

"You have a point." I muttered in response.

"Did you know I met my future husband today?" Caroline changed the topic with a coy smile. God, did she _ever_ stop talking? I should know, I'd been friends with her for practically my whole life. _Hey, let's move to this little town in the middle of nowhere,_ my parents had said. _It will be fun,_ they had said. Ha-ha. Although I really don't remember, because I was only three years old when we moved. But I'm willing to bet my life that they said that exactly.

"Yes, I know, Care, you've already told me his favorite color and zodiac sign." I rolled my eyes, and felt my friend's annoyance radiate from the glare in her eyes. But, she soon forgot about being mad and her expression turned into a dreamy beam.

"He's so hot, I could look at him all day." She sighed, putting her chin in her palm, resting her elbow on the table. I found myself wondering how easy life would be if all you ever did was dream about hot dudes.

"What's with you today anyway? You're acting strange." Caroline asked me, the sarcasm replaced with worry. I looked up from my disgusting pasta and sighed. Something was wrong that day. I had had a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach ever since I woke up.

"Nothing." It wasn't nothing. It felt as if needles were prickling all over my body. I couldn't explain it. Everything just felt wrong. Like something was about to happen. Something bad–

The soda ran down my chest, leaving an icy shock behind. I screamed out in surprise and stood up in my chair, trying to understand what just happened. The cafeteria went silent as I watched the freshman stutter an apology.

"I'm sorry- I didn't see you-"The blonde boy yelped, and I breathed in slowly through my nose. The soda was getting sticky, glueing my blue sweater to my skin.

"Watch your step." I growled through my teeth before pushing past the boy. He recoiled in fear, clearing my path straight to the restrooms. Once in there, I took out my spare shirt from my bag and pulled off the wet one. It's hard to explain, but I had had this feeling that morning that I would need a spare shirt. I looked up in the mirror, expecting to see my shirtless self, but what I saw made me yelp in fear. Someone was snarling at me from behind me in the mirror. His face looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen him. But what hit me the hardest was that there were veins under his eyes, and his snarl revealed… Fangs. I turned around swiftly, ready to defend myself, only to be met with empty air. Had I imagined it? No way that someone could move that fast. And what was that– man doing in the girls' restroom? I pulled on the white t-shirt with shaking hands and hurried out of the restroom before the guy could appear again.

"What the hell is wrong with you today?" I asked myself under my breath, as I hurried to my locker. What I didn't see was a figure moving toward me at full speed, certainly hurrying off to class. I bumped into the person and prepared to apologize when I seemed to go blind. Well, not exactly blind, but– I saw blood. I saw blood, death and– Elena?

"I'm so sorry." The guy said, and I snapped back into reality. I would have told him that it was okay, if I hadn't recognized his face.

I recoiled from him and felt my heart pound in my chest. It was the guy I had seen in the restroom. The vampire. Worse, I now knew who it was. Caroline's husband-to-be, Stefan Salvatore.

"Did I hurt you?" Stefan asked me with a worried look. I barely managed to stutter a no before practically running away from him. Could you blame me? He was a vampire. I knew I might have imagined it all, but I had a feeling that I was right. Perhaps that scared me more. I'd rather be completely crazy than live in a world where vampires exist.

* * *

"Okay seriously. _What_ is going on?" Caroline held my gaze while I gulped down my fifth glass of water. I put down my glass on the counter with a loud bang and looked at her.

"I'm in shock." I managed to reply, before sitting down on a chair in her kitchen.

"In shock from what?" Mrs Forbes chuckled, walking into the kitchen. I gave her a surprised smile and went up to hug her. Was it strange that I had a better relationship with my best friend's mother than with my own? Anyway, I fumbled for an excuse, a sane answer to her question. I couldn't very well tell her I had seen a vampire in the mirror of the girls' restroom, found out that it was the new guy in class, _and_ had a vision of blood, death and Elena when I touched him. That would be crazy.

"Oh, I just found out about the animal attacks." I cracked out, thankful for the tv in Caroline's kitchen. Mrs Forbes pulled away and ruffled my hair a little.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about. Cougars again." She reassured me, before opening the fridge. That set up a chain in my head. Could this vampire thing have something to do with the animal attacks? No, of course not. I was having a weird day, that's all.

"Could you tell me now what you were _really_ in shock about?" Caroline asked me as soon as her mother was out of the room. I sighed, for once wishing I had a less perceptive friend.

"Please don't think I'm crazy." I told her reluctantly.

"I already know you're crazy."

"Very funny." I replied with a sarcastic smile. "I bumped into Stefan after I had changed my sweater and got a strange vision." I admitted, scratching my head and avoiding Caroline's gaze.

"You had a _vision?_ " She repeated, her eyebrows almost all the way up to her hairline.

"I saw blood… Death. And then I saw Elena." I added, instantly wishing I hadn't told her anything. Care wasn't the most accepting person I knew.

"You _are_ crazy." She said, shaking her head with a puzzled look.

"I know it's super weird, but I don't know what to think either." I hurried, standing up and brushing my hands on my skirt.

"Juliette… I think you should go and see a doctor." Caroline said, and I frowned at her. "These visions could be hallucinations. You could have a terminal disease, or someone could have slipped a drug into your water–"

"Caroline." I stopped her by raising my hand. Her green eyes shone with worry, and for a second I was actually thankful for having a friend like her. "I'm not going to the doctor. I don't know what's happening to me, but it will pass. I promise."

* * *

I don't know why I agreed to go with Caroline to the bar that night. She convinced me to come with her and have a girls' night with Bonnie and Elena. _Bonnie and Elena._ If there were two people in Mystic Falls that were a perfect example of the average teenager in the small town, it was the two of them.

I sipped on my drink and watched Caroline mingle with all of her friends. Tyler Lockwood, Matt Donovan, Vicki Donovan, Bonnie Bennett… I felt out of place. I had never liked these social get-togethers. Don't get me wrong, I was still quite popular, but that was only because of Caroline. For some reason she had decided to stick with me, even though I was obviously crazy and anti-social.

"Do you know that new dude?" Matt Donovan sat down next to me in the booth, looking grim. The expression didn't suit him. Matt was always happy and quite frankly reminded me of a puppy.

"Stefan Salvatore? No, but I've got a bad feeling about him." I replied, taking another sip. Out of all of Caroline's other friends, Matt was the one I liked the most. I didn't know what it was about him, but he was difficult not to like, even though he was kind of boring sometimes. Plus, he wasn't too bad to look at either.

"Elena seems to like him." The jock muttered, followed by a loud sigh. Sad puppy.

"I don't know her very well, but I think she's probably just looking for a distraction. Maybe you remind her too much of her old life." I answered with a shrug. He gave me a puzzled look before his gaze fastened on something behind my shoulder. His features contorted with anger. Mad puppy.

"Speaking of the devil…" He mumbled, and I turned around. What I saw made my heart sink. Elena had just walked into the bar, followed by Stefan. Just looking at him made a chill run down my spine. His kind green eyes were only a facade, I could see that. In fact, when those eyes turned to me, there was no kindness there. Only confusion and fascination. I tried to shrink into my seat, but it didn't work out very well. Before I knew it, I was surrounded by people.

* * *

Caroline was small-talking with Bonnie, Elena and Stefan while I was once again sipping on a drink. Thank God they were non-alcoholic. Matt liked me, but not _that_ much. He wasn't going to lose his job as a bartender by serving alcohol to a minor.

"My parents passed away." Stefan said, and avoiding his gaze was getting more and more difficult. When he wasn't sending loving looks at Elena, he was looking at me with a frown. As if trying to read my mind. Wait, could vampires read minds? I knew they could in some stories but… I doubted garlic was really a weapon against them in real life. Elena didn't tear her eyes away from the beautiful Stefan, and my heart sank even deeper into my chest. Huh. I thought it had reached rock-bottom already.

"I'm sorry." Elena mumbled, and I had a sudden urge to jump in between the two of them and scream VAMPIRE as loudly as I could, but I assumed it wasn't the best idea. Oh God, I really was getting mad.

And that's how the rest of the night went. Me contemplating whether to warn Elena about Stefan, or shut my mouth and act like a normal, sane person. The second alternative was easier, so I chose to go with that. That was, until something strange happened once again. I was going to the restroom when I passed Vicki Donovan. Our shoulders brushed against each other, and pictures started flashing by in my head. She was lying on the ground in a forest, blood smeared all over her neck. Looming over her, I saw the silhouette of a man. I gasped in fear, and she nearly dropped her plate on the ground.

"I'm sorry– I didn't mean to–" I tried to finish the sentence, but my head had started spinning. This couldn't be happening. What the hell was wrong with me?

I had told Caroline earlier that these visions would pass, but suddenly, I had a feeling that they were there to stay.


	2. Chapter 2: Between The Devil

**Chapter 2: Between the devil and the deep blue sea**

"Hello?" I called out, doing my best to keep my voice from shaking. The grass was wet under my feet, and I found myself wondering why I was barefoot in the middle of a forest. The trees towered over me on all sides, casting shadows on the ground. I hugged my body and tried to make my teeth stop clattering against each other.

"Is there anyone there?" I asked the tree right before me, where I had thought I saw a figure. But no one replied, and I managed to make my feet move toward the tree at the end of the path.

"If you don't show yourself before I count to ten, I will scream at the top of my lungs until someone hears me." I shouted with a threatening voice. At least it sounded threatening in my head.

"1… 2… 3…" I barely got to four before I heard footsteps approaching me. Before me stood a black haired, gorgeous guy. His blue eyes shone with fear.

"Stefan?" He shouted, looking everywhere but straight at me. I waved my hand before his eyes, but they were blank.

"Hello?" I asked the man, but he still didn't see me. I tried touching him, but my hand went straight through his chest. Which made me realize that he was wearing a suit from the 19th century. At least it looked very old.

"Damon!" A familiar voice called out behind me, and I turned around. Stefan Salvatore was wearing a white shirt and garters, and he looked just as panicked as Damon. Without notice, Stefan stepped _right through_ my body, leaving an icy feeling behind me.

"We have to get her out, brother." Damon's voice shook with stress, and the two brothers started walking toward the edge of the forest. I was having a hard time believing what I was seeing. 1. Stefan Salvatore was running around in a forest clad like he was going to a masquerade. 2. He had a brother, who by the way was _smoking._ 3\. They couldn't see or hear me, and I couldn't touch them. I felt like I was watching a movie, but in 4D, and I was freezing.

I followed the two guys until we arrived into a clearing. That was when I realized why they were both looking so alarmed. Men were walking around with torches in their hands, screaming commands and dragging people around. They were all wearing hats and I saw several carriages with horses, and I realized that this was more than a masquerade party. I was in the 19th century.

"Get them in!" A man yelled, and I watched in horror as he put some sort of mouth harness on a woman, clasping it behind her neck. What was this twisted show?

"We have to get to the church. They're waiting!" Stefan exclaimed beside me, watching the scene before him with a horror equal to mine. I did notice, however, that his eyes weren't surprised. He had known this would happen.

"Circle around that way. I'll distract them. Go!" He then whispered to Damon, who hurried to where Stefan had pointed. I wanted to object to the beautiful man, warn him of the danger, but remembered that he wouldn't hear me anyway.

"Wai–" I exclaimed when Stefan started moving away, and mentally facepalmed. _You're a ghost to them._ I was left standing alone, so I figured I would try to find out what on earth was going on. Since no one could see me anyway, I wouldn't put myself in any sort of danger. I followed Stefan to one of the carriages, and peeked through the metal bars. Several people lay in there, and I didn't even want to know if they were dead or not. Damon then appeared out of nowhere, smashing a plank into the guard's head, and I moved aside out of instinct. Of course Damon would just move straight through me, but I wasn't really used to being, you know, a ghost.

"Katherine!" He exclaimed as he unlocked the cage in the carriage, and Stefan helped him pull out a body.

"Elena!" I exclaimed in shock as I saw who they were carrying. She was wearing an antique dress, and had a harness clasped around her mouth. But why were they calling her Katherine?

"We don't have much time." Stefan muttered, and I watched the two brothers with fascination. It was obvious that they both cared about this woman with Elena's face, and I wondered how horrible that must be. Fighting with your own brother about the person you love.

"Damon hurry!" Stefan hurried his brother, as Damon fiddled with the ropes tied around Katherine's wrists. I wanted to help, but at the same time I had absolutely no idea what was going on. I had been confused enough even before Elena's long lost twin sister had appeared.

A shot rang through the air, and I screamed out in fear. Damon fell to the ground, and I clasped my hand to my mouth. Stefan rushed to his side while I tried to breathe slowly. Stefan's brother just got shot. Right before my eyes. Voices yelled in the distance, and Stefan took up the unconscious guard's rifle. He aimed at the men coming at him, but he was too hesitant. A second shot was fired, and the second Salvatore brother fell to the ground. My heart jumped through my chest (figuratively, of course), and I felt my knees buckling under me. Watching the men pick up Katherine again and throwing into her cage, I managed to make my breathing function again. This couldn't be real. _My name was Juliette Walters_. I backed up against a tree, and saw a church in the distance. _I am seventeen_. I approached the white church with a sinking feeling in my stomach. _I live in Mystic Falls_. I recognized the church as the church of Mystic Falls. _The year is 2009_. The men unloaded the bodies from the antique carriages and carried them into the church, their torches held high. _This is a dream._ I saw them light their torches on piles of timber surrounding the church. _This is not real._ I felt the smell of burning wood like poison to my mind. _Wake up now._

* * *

I jumped awake with a scream. I was in my blue bedroom, and the sun was shining through my window. I looked around me and was aware of the pool of sweat on my bed, and the way my hair stuck to my neck in an uncomfortable way. My alarm was beeping, and I threw a pillow at it so it would shut up.

"You're alive, Julie." I whispered to myself, taking a deep breath. It had been a dream. It had all been a dream. I must have dwelled so much about Stefan and Elena the previous day that I had twisted their little 'romance' in a dream.

I tried to relax in the shower, but it was difficult. Alright, it might have been a dream. But were dreams supposed to be so real? Could you smell things in your dreams? I could still feel the burnt odor in my nose, and not even my vanilla scented shower gel numbed it.

I knew what I had to do. I had to find out if Stefan had a brother, and who the hell Katherine was. If Damon and Katherine didn't exist, I would know it was a dream. Sounded like an easy plan.

* * *

Tasks for that day:

Ask Stefan if he had a brother.

Ask Elena if she had a twin sister.

Seemed relatively easy.

* * *

It wasn't easy. I was already through half of the day when I had failed completely with both of my tasks. The thing was that Elena was always with Bonnie or Stefan, and I didn't want to alert either of them with my weird question. I still didn't trust Stefan, and I didn't want him to suspect me of dreaming about him or anything.

Problem number two. I had to casually ask said possible vampire if he had a brother, and if his name happened to be Damon. Ha-ha. At lunch, I decided to just get it over with.

"By the way, Stefan, do you have a brother?" I asked Stefan, and the table went quiet. It was the first time I deliberately spoke to him. Caroline exchanged a look with Bonnie, and Elena frowned at me and Stefan.

"Yes… I do." He admitted reluctantly, but said nothing more. My heart sank for the hundredth time in the last 24 hours.

"What's his name?" I added, not releasing Stefan's gaze. He seemed very uncomfortable, but I knew he couldn't avoid such a straight question without raising suspicion.

"Uhm, let's talk about something else." The brown haired guy answered with a chuckle, but he was looking at me intently. He knew I was up to something. Shit, I still didn't know if he could read minds or not. _Or maybe he's not a vampire, but just a normal guy._ Nope. I still got the same chill every time I looked at him.

"So… Anyone psyched for the party tonight?" Bonnie asked to break the awkward silence, and I was thankful for her existence. Stefan was still staring at me with a puzzled frown, and I didn't like it.

"I'm not sure if I'm going…" I mumbled, looking away from my "friends". I thought I would do some digging on my weird dream that night instead. I'm sure Sheriff Forbes would have some info on the Salvatore Family. And the Gilbert one, for that matter. However, Caroline scrunched her eyebrows at me and glared, so I added "...but it does sound fun, so I'll go."

"Great." Bonnie answered with a smile, and it actually sounded genuine.

* * *

It was now 2 pm, and all I had succeeded with that day was finding out that Stefan indeed had a brother. Other than that, nada. And then, I had also had this bad feeling all day. The same feeling I'd had the day before, seconds before that freshman had spilled soda all over me.

"Elena? Surely you can enlighten us about one of the town's most significantly historical events?" Mr Tanner asked Elena, and I turned my attention to the brunette. What was the teacher going on about now again? Oh yes, the battle of Willow Creek. That peaked my interest. I may have been daydreaming seconds earlier, but history did interest me. Only Mr Tanner must have been the worst teacher I'd ever had. He was mean, boring and a pain-in-the-ass.

"I'm sorry, I don't know." Elena replied, and Mr Tanner's expression fell.

"I was willing to be lenient last year for obvious reasons, Elena. But the personal excuses ended for summer break." Jeez. Talk about overreacting. I was pretty sure any student would get a mindblock when being asked that question.

"There were 346 casualties, unless you're counting the local civilians." Stefan answered out of the blue, and the familiar creepy feeling circled around my heart.

"That's correct, mr…?" Mr Tanner replied, and I couldn't help smiling at his dumbfounded expression. He hadn't been expecting a student to know the right answer, and especially not the new guy.

"Salvatore."

"Salvatore?" Mr Tanner repeated with surprise. "Any relation to the original settlers here in Mystic Falls?" My attention peaked again. Maybe this was where I would find the answers to my dream.

"Distant." Stefan replied, and I frowned inwardly. Distant relation to the original Salvatores of Mystic Falls… That didn't give me any answers. Almost everyone here was related to founders of this small town in some way, even if it was distant.

"Well, good. Except of course, there were no civilian casualties in this battle." The teacher said, satisfaction in his voice.

"Actually, there were 27, sir." Stefan interrupted Mr Tanner, and I raised my brows at him. No one had ever spoken to Mr Tanner that way. "Confederate soldiers, they fired on the church," I felt nauseousness raise in my stomach. The church. "believing it to be housing weapons. They were wrong. It was a night of great loss." In that very second, I knew it. My dream hadn't been a dream, but a memory. A memory of the battle of Willow Creek, year 1864, when 27 civilians had been burned in a church. But how could you have a memory of something you had never seen? I hadn't even known about the battle of Willow Creek before this day.

"The founders archives are stored in the Civil Hall if you'd like to brush up on your facts… Mr Tanner." Stefan added, and every single student looked at him, baffled. Except me, because I was writing down _Civil Hall_ in my phone.

"Miss Walters, if you'd please put down your phone, we could continue this lesson." Mr Tanner turned his attention to me, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"I was just writing this moment down so I will never forget it." I grinned at the teacher. Bad move. Mr Tanner's mouth formed a tight line and he shot daggers at me while I heard multiple chuckles from all over class.

"Principal's office, Miss Walters." Damn it. I didn't have time for that. Well well, I still thought it was worth it. I didn't like Mr Tanner, and I wanted him to know that.

"Alright." I sighed and stood up. "Don't forget, _Civil Hall,_ Mr Tanner." I added just before walking out, and then I hurried out of the classroom so my teacher wouldn't have time to retort.

* * *

Thankfully, the meeting with the Principal didn't take very long. That may have been because my mother was the principal, of course.

"I'm sorry, Mom. But you _know_ how Mr Tanner is. Did you know what he told Elena just before? That her _personal excuses_ didn't matter anymore. Just because she couldn't answer his question." I argued when she threatened to give me house-arrest. My mother's blonde eyebrows shot to her forehead.

"He did?" Her green eyes were full of surprise and worry. She had known the Gilberts very well, and their death had hit her hard.

"Yes. And just before that, he called Bonnie dumb." I replied, and I knew I had already won the discussion. "He bullies his students, Mom. Can you really blame me for speaking up?"

"Yes, I can." She sighed. "It wasn't necessary for you to defend them. You could have just told me and _I_ could've had a talk with your teacher." Her voice was in the _I'm-your-principal-not-your-mother_ mode. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. That would just worsen my situation. My mom did not take well to cockiness.

"But, I won't punish you. But that's only because you have good grades and you are a good student otherwise, alright?" My mom finished, and I gave her an innocent smile.

"Thanks." I shrugged before standing up.

"Julie!" My mom exclaimed when I was about to leave the room. "Don't stay out too late tonight." She added with a worried look. Huh. Usually she didn't care where I was on my free-time, or how late I stayed out. But something in her eyes told me there was more to it than a party. Then it hit me; the animal attacks. She was worried I'd get attacked.

* * *

I dwelled on that as I walked to the Civil Hall. I had about three hours before the party started, so I figured I had some time to find the answer to my questions. My mother had seemed so worried, yet she never worried about me usually. I mean, it was only an animal attack, as far as she was concerned. I knew that there was something more to the attack, but she didn't.

I sat down in front of one of the computers and typed _Battle of Willow Creek._ I got five hits, and clicked on the first article. It described the battle and the conflict, nothing more. _346 casualties._ There was nothing about any civilians. I clicked on the next article, that was a summary of the consequences of the battle. At the end of the article, I found what I was looking for. _27 civilians were killed when confederate soldiers fired at Fell's Church, believing it to be housing weapons. Only ashes were found after the church burned down._ There were no names of the civilian casualties, and I didn't find any in the other articles as well. No Katherine. I scratched my head but got a better idea.

 _Gilbert family tree._ I searched, but a warning came up. _You need a password to access this page._ Damn it. Private information. I weighed my options. I could confront Elena and Stefan, or I could use the Sheriff's account to log in.

The second option felt both quicker and easier, so I wrote Mrs Forbes password in the box. Okay, here's the story. One time I entered her office in Caroline's house, and she was logged in on her computer, but in another room. I couldn't help my curiosity and wrote down her password. You never know when that could come in handy.

 _Access allowed._ I grinned victoriously and typed the three words again. There was a record of all of Elena's relatives, but there was no Katherine. No twin sister, then. _Salvatore Family Tree,_ I then typed. Blank. Strange. Really strange. There was no record of any Salvatore's in the town. Yet Stefan had said he had distant relatives from Mystic Falls. And, I knew he lived with his uncle.

" _You want to get ready at my place?"_ My phone buzzed and I read the message on the lock screen. I sighed and logged out of Sheriff Forbes' account, making sure that I left no traces of intrusion. I then picked up my bag and left the Civil Hall.

* * *

I saw Stefan enter the clearing where the party was held. Caroline had just bailed on me to "get us drinks" (aka talk with some other friends). I decided to take matters in my own hands once and for all.

"I know you're up to something." I went straight up to Stefan and he stopped abruptly. His dark brows furrowed as he tried to act innocent. "I know you're not normal."

"Neither are you." He replied, but he still wasn't rude. He looked taken aback from my accusations, but I saw recognition in his eyes.

"I don't know what I am, but I know what you are." I replied, confidence swelling in my chest. His hesitations told me that I was right.

"And I want you to stay away from Elena. I may not be great friends with her, but I know what will–" I stopped myself. I didn't want him to know too much. "You're not good for her."

"What _are_ you?" Stefan's puzzled green eyes watched me with fascination. I opened my mouth to answer, but realized that I had no answer. Up until yesterday I had been a normal, though slightly adventurous, teenage girl. Now I was this lunatic who got bloody visions of her friends dying, before it had happened.

"Someone you should listen to." I gave Stefan one last meaning look before walking away, leaving him baffled. I don't know how I got the courage to do that. All I knew was that I had a feeling that my visions were true, and if I was right, I wanted him to leave Elena alone. As I said, she wasn't really my friend, but that doesn't mean I wanted her to die. She was a nice girl, and she deserved a happy life.

* * *

"Oh hell no, not Caroline too." I muttered to myself, and approached Caroline as soon as Stefan had walked away from her.

"He's _so_ sexy." She said, filling up a mug with beer. I rolled my eyes, but nodded. The guy creeped me out, but he _was_ sexy. That brooding vampire thing was always sexy, even I had to admit that.

"Caroline, he's no good."

"Since when have I ever dated someone _good_?" Caroline answered with a knowing look, and I sighed.

"Not like that… He's something else. He gives me the creeps, okay?" I replied, desperately trying to make her understand.

"Is this one of your weird psychic visions again? You're crazy, Juliette." Care brushed it off with a wave of her hand, and I felt my heart contract. Those words hit me right to my soul. I was going crazy. I was going completely mad. Yet every fiber of my being told me that I was right.

"Anyway, I'm going to go and give this to Stefan." Caroline changed the topic, and gave me a roll of her eyes. She started walking away from me, but stopped in her tracks.

"Did you see where he went?" She asked me with a frown. Yes, I had seen him leave with Elena. But I wasn't going to tell her that. Care had always had these Elena complexes, and knowing that Stefan had run off with Elena would do her no good.

"No." I told her in reply, and she left me to go looking for him.

* * *

The party was a total bore. Did I mention I hate small-talk? Well, let's just say that there's a reason why I hated parties like this one.

After about half an hour, I left the party. The noise of the music and the chatting was too much, and I had had a long day of dwelling on my lunatic mind. Yet, I didn't want to go home either. So I went to the forest to get some peace and quiet.

"So you're some sort of psychic now, Juliette?" I asked myself, emptying the cup of beer. I followed the path, my thoughts whirling around in my head. For now, the only actual proof I had that my dream had been true was the 27 civilian casualties at Fell's Church. I still didn't know about Stefan, Damon or Katherine.

"Jeremy?" I heard Vicki Donovan's voice echo through the forest a bit away from me. Now that I thought of my surroundings, I realized I had wandered off into the forest quite a bit. And a strange fog started seeping around my feet. I took a few steps forward and saw Vicki standing a bit away from me, calling out for Jeremy, Elena's brother. I didn't want her to see me, to think that I had followed her, so I hid behind a tree. Something was bugging me. I recognized this scene. It could just be a strange deja-vu, but it felt more real.

A man was standing behind Vicki. He wore a black leather-jacket, and his hair was pitch black. I thought I recognized him from somewhere. I was about to call out for Vicki, but I realized that it would certainly put the two of us even more in danger. My feet creaked against the moss as I took a few steps forward to get a clearer view. I could barely contain a gasp when I saw who the man was. It was Damon Salvatore, Stefan's brother from my dream. He had veins under his eyes, and his sneer revealed long, sharp fangs. And within a second, he plunged them into Vicki Donovan's neck. I bit my tongue not to scream out in fear when I realized why the scene was so familiar.

It was the exact same scene I had seen when I had touched Vicki the night before.

* * *

I sunk down to the ground as soon as I had run away from the forest. Thankfully, Damon hadn't seen me. I was a couple of blocks away from my house, and I was hyperventilating.

"I'm crazy. I'm crazy. I'm crazy." I kept repeating to myself in between shallow breaths. Everything had been true.

"This can't be real." I whispered, pulling at my hair. I could barely contain the tears forming in my eyes.

"Wake up." I tugged at my hair before pinching myself on the arm. "WAKE UP!" But the images kept flashing by in my head. The image of Stefan and Damon getting shot, then the vision of Vicki getting attacked.

Suddenly a new image passed by in my head. I saw a vision of a grave, and people I knew surrounding it. Caroline was there, wearing her most beautiful black dress, crying. I saw my mother sobbing against my father's chest, and I saw my little brother staring at the grave incomprehensibly. I saw Elena standing there, holding Stefan's hand. And then I saw the name on the tombstone. _Juliette Walters. 02/18/1992-09/16/2009._ That was in a week.

Staying in Mystic Falls would lead to my death.


	3. Chapter 3: Highway to Hell

**Chapter 3: Highway to Hell**

The sound of the motor of the car seemed to calm me. And if I concentrated enough on the sound of the windshield wipers moving back and forth on the windshield, I could almost forget what I was doing.

I didn't even think of a direction as soon as I had left Mystic Falls. I just picked one, and it happened to be North Carolina. Going south, then. You know, for a girl who had never been out of the town, North Carolina was a whole new world. _Don't stay out too late,_ were the last words my mom had told me. _Can you read me a bedtime story tonight?_ was the last sentence my little brother Chad had said to me. _Can you pass me the coffee, Juliette?_ was the last phrase I heard my father say.

I had to leave. I would have died. Maybe it was selfish of me, but I had no other choice. I couldn't very well die in Mystic Falls if I was multiple states away, could I?

Then why didn't this lump of guilt and regret leave my heart? I had left everything behind. Everyone I cared about. My education, my future. Although I guess that my future was why I left for the first place. I hadn't even left a message for Caroline. In the morning, my parents would find my letter, and I would be wanted by the police. You see, the red Honda I was driving wasn't mine, but my mother's. And before I had left, I had taken all the cash I could possibly find in the house. Which might have been closer to 700 dollars. You might be thinking; what family would have 700 dollars lying around in the house? Well, mine had. They had of course been tucked away in a safe place, but I found that hiding place when I was ten.

"North Carolina, here I come." I whispered to myself and pressed down the gas pedal further.

* * *

"Shit. Shit. Shit." I banged my head against the steering wheel and took deep breaths. What had I done? I was only seventeen. No one was going to offer me a job. I couldn't rent my own apartment. I only had 700 dollars, and I needed to pay for gas. But I couldn't return. I had to get away from that hellhole. I had known it even before these crazy visions started. I only wished I could've waited until I had at least turned eighteen.

I had pulled up from the motorway before a sign that showed Columbia to the left and Atlanta to the right. It was seven in the morning, and I had been driving for most of the night, except for a stop at 3am to take a nap. The sun shone and it was a beautiful fall day, but I had a decision to face. With a sigh, I bent over the passenger seat and reached for the storage compartment. There had to be a map somewhere. And there was. I picked it up and sat down in my seat again.

"Now, where should I go?" I asked myself and scratched my head with a frown. I had no idea where to go. Then an idea lighted up in my mind, and I smiled to myself. I straightened out the map and put the palm of my right hand flat against it.

"These powers might be good for something." I mumbled to myself before dragging my hand along the map. The map felt cold against my palm, but a calm feeling settled in my stomach for the first time since two days ago. I traced my hand downwards on the map, and gasped when I felt a tug. It was like a magnet, and I stopped moving my hand.

"New Orleans." I stated, looking at the location where I had felt the tug. I thought of the only things I knew about New Orleans; There were a lot of french people there and jazz music.

"Sounds perfect." I shrugged and put away the map. I took one last deep breath before pressing down the gas pedal again. The car left a cloud of dust behind as I turned did a straight turn to the right, the tires rearing against the asphalt road.

* * *

"I'M ON A HIGHWAY TO HELL! HIGHWAY TO HELL!" I sang as loudly as I could, rocking my hair like a true rocker. The guilt I had felt two hours ago was completely erased. My heart felt light as a feather, and my cheeks were cramping from smiling. The music rang loudly in my ear, and the fresh wind blowing in through my open window made me feel alive. Why had I never thought of escaping before? I hadn't realized exactly how trapped I had felt in Mystic Falls before I had left.

"No stop signs! Speeding limits!" I had to admit my voice sounded pretty good, and the accuracy of the song was laughable. "Nobody's gonna slow us down!" I had my whole future before me. Now that I thought of it, I could do anything. I could make a career out of singing like I always dreamed, or maybe I could become a painter. That had always sounded nice, too. A painter in New Orleans. It had a nice ring to it. I could do that.

Without warning, I laughed right out loud. I couldn't help it, I was so goddamn happy. It felt like all of my negative feelings left my body along with the sound of my ringing laughter.

* * *

"Holy shit." I exclaimed once more as I entered the town of Atlanta, Georgia. The euphoric feeling I had felt when passing the border between South Carolina and Georgia had died down and been replaced with the same panic I had felt before. But there was something more important right now than my endless guilt and stress; I was starving. I hadn't even thought of stopping until I entered Atlanta city, but I had a feeling I would pass out if I didn't eat. Stop what you're thinking; It wasn't a psychic feeling. I just had this extreme gnawing hunger in my stomach.

The restaurants along the dirty streets of Atlanta City didn't look appealing at all. Stressed people with briefcases and headsets rushed along the streets, children ran around with footballs and old couples sat on benches holding hands. It looked exactly like Mystic Falls, although I have to say that the size of the city was pretty impressive. I watched the people interact with new eyes, and I realized that I would probably be like one of those stressed adults soon. Everyone had to get a job to earn money. I turned right and grasped the fact that the thought bothered me less than living out my life in a small town.

The hole in my stomach echoed sadly with hunger as I drove out of the town. What else could I do? Just looking at the restaurants had made me sick. I started regretting my decision half an hour later when I drove along an empty country lane. Old houses lined the road, and brown horses watched me as I drove past them. I couldn't see a human soul anywhere, and that was the case for another twenty minutes. Until finally, something caught my eye. I pulled off the road and turned left, my stomach screeching with famine.

"Bree's bar." I muttered to myself. _Burgers. Oh God, yes_. I parker the red Honda and stepped out of it carefully, but not before grabbing my wallet and phone. Mystic Falls was a pretty safe town (unless you counted the vampires and freaks like me), but you never knew with these country places.

A woman in her forties was cleaning the wooden counter, and I pulled out a stool. I threw down my backpack with a loud sigh and sat down.

"Aren't you a little young for being in a bar?" The chocolate-skinned woman asked me with a raise of her right eyebrow. I eyed her carefully while thinking of a reply.

"I'm not here to drink. I just want a hamburger. The biggest you've got." The words slipped out of my mouth, but I couldn't think straight from the hunger. The waitress chuckled and threw the rag across her shoulder.

"Alright." Her voice was low-pitched and her smile created lines on the corners of her eyes. "My name's Bree. What are you doing in these parts of the state?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked the owner of the bar while she shouted at a young kid to prepare their biggest hamburger. Bree's brown eyes watched me with a puzzled expression for a second before she continued.

"I can tell you're not from here. Local girls know better than to come to bars like these on the outskirts of town."

"I'm actually seventeen." I stated decisively and leaned against the counter. "Besides, I'm not afraid of bikers."

"Oh, it's not bikers you should be afraid of." Bree chuckled, but here was a knowing glint in her eyes. What did she mean? "Vampires visit this place more frequently than bikers." She said simply, and my heart stopped for a second.

"How did you–" I started, but she laughed out loud this time.

"Girl, I know you're not normal. So what are you? Witch, vampire, werewolf?" Her voice rang in my ears, and I noticed the ringing didn't stop even after she had stopped talking.

"I didn't even know witches and werewolves existed…" I mumbled, more to myself than to Bree. "Do all creatures from tales exist?" I felt embarrassed at asking these questions, but I wanted answers. Even if it was obvious that Bree thought I was naive. The woman turned around and avoided my question by entering the kitchen. She came out three seconds later with a plate with the biggest hamburger I had ever seen, and a tower of french fries surrounding it.

"You should probably eat something before we have this conversation." Bree stated and placed the plate before me.

* * *

"So you're a witch?" My head was thumping with pain, probably from the amount of information I had had to take in during those three days.

"Yes. You're supernatural too." Bree acknowledged with a puzzled look.

"What am I then?" I queried seriously, watching the with intently. It was the question I had been asking myself since the visions started. There was no way to find out for myself- It wasn't exactly like the secret society of supernatural creatures had their own Wikipedia website. I hope.

"I don't know, little one." The barista inquired while pouring a beer into a large glass and slipping it to the guy next to me, wearing a leather jacket. I hadn't even noticed him, but I felt a chill run down my spine when I looked at him.

"Here you go, Lee. Lexi coming over later?" Bree asked him with a smile. He laughed and showed his dimples before taking a swig of the beer.

"Nah, just me today." He replied. He had a handsome face with defined jaws and a tall nose, and his wide smile really suited him. Bree laughed in reply and turned back to me.

"You were wight about the vampires." I told her quietly. I had gotten the same cold chill when I watched him as I had gotten with Stefan and Damon.

"Lee? Oh, he's nothing to worry about. He's a nice vampire. He and his girlfriend Lexi visit from time to time." Bree said as if it was obvious he was a nice guy. Apparently, some vampires were nice. You learn new things every day…

"Did you say you get visions?" The witch inquired with a concerned expressions, and I hesitated. Could I trust her? Surely, my "powers" weren't that common. Was it really wise to tell her?

"Every time I touch someone, I see pictures of their future." She was after all a witch. I knew her secret, so why wouldn't I tell her mine? Besides, she had only been nice so far. It felt good to speak to someone who knew something about this freakiness. "And I can also see flashes of the past."

"Some witches are psychic. I myself don't have that specific power, but…" Her voice trailed and I saw a flicker of emotion in her eleyes. Longing, perhaps. "I would've felt it the second you entered if you were a witch." My heart fell.

"Then what am I?! Some unidentifiable freak?!" I exclaimed and threw my hands up in the air. I picked up the last fry on my plate and ate it with frustration.

"I know a lot of people who would kill to get your gift." Crap. I hadn't even thought about that. Of course many people would like to see their future.

"But I never asked for this. I never wanted to be some psychic nutjob." I told Bree with desperation, who looked at me with a brooding face.

"You can't decide your fate, Juliette." She said, and the earlier laughing happiness was completely wiped off the witch's face. The seriousness in her voice was frightening.

"Do you have any more fries?" I asked her to lighten the mood.

* * *

About ten minutes before I left the bar, Bree went to make a phone call while I reflected on the things I had learned. She had taught me pretty much about vampires, witches and werewolves, but even she had no idea what the hell I was.

Bree returned and gave me a smile as I packed my things.

"Good luck in New Orleans, honey." She told me with her deep voice and I smiled at her.

"Thank you for the help." My heart felt lighter as I walked out of the door. I left the bar with a full stomach, but my head seemed to be even fuller.

* * *

I parked my car outside the first motel I spotted in New Orleans, and checked the time. 6 pm. The evening sun lightened up the street as I got out of my car and put on my backpack. I figured I could visit some and maybe try to get a job before checking into the motel. The red car beeped as I locked it, but the sound was drowned in the noise of chattering people.

New Orleans was beautiful. There was jazz music playing everywhere, varying from pianos to trumpets and saxophones, and people on the streets were laughing. A stranger actually took be by the hand and danced with me as his buddy played a skippy song on his sax, and the feeling of being free returned to me. He complimented me on my pretty blonde hair, and I left him blushing to go and find some food.

I didn't have time to do much else before it got dark outside, and the teenager in me was still cautious. Now that I knew about vampires and werewolves etcetera, I was not stupid enough to stay out late. Even though I would've gladly stayed out and visited the town some more. I payed for my meal and stepped out of the restaurant and into the street lined with lampposts. The night had become chilly and I hugged my denim jacket closer to my body. I wished I had thought of bringing more clothes, but I decided that I could buy some more in the morning. Now, I just had to get back to the motel safely. I didn't stray very far, so I was certain it wouldn't be a problem.

I was wrong. Apparently, my sixth sense wasn't helpful when I actually needed it. Had I known that I was going to be targeted by a vampire, I would've gone straight to the motel. I started noticing the man following me about two minutes after I stepped into the broad street. There was no sound of footsteps, but I got this strange feeling in my stomach and my heart started racing. I didn't know what to do, so I just walked faster. I didn't want to run, because judging on what Bree had told me, that would do me no good.

I heard a swooshing sound and without warning, I was pressed against a wall in a small alley. Had I teleported or something? Probably not, judging by the grin of the guy standing before me. He had wide, curly hair and a dark complexion. His dark eyes were looking at me like I was an animal, and his arm was twinning a lock of my hair between his fingers.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing out this late?" He asked me and raised his eyebrow. I struggled against his grip and glared at him.

"Late? I wouldn't call nine 'late'." I challenged him, and his grip around my wrist tightened. "But I guess you bloodsuckers don't even wait until it's late before you attack your preys." The vampire backed a step at my accusation, and confusion filled his dark brown eyes.

"Step away, Diego." Another voice echoed through the alley, and another guy stepped forward. This one had short-shaved hair, smiling eyes and a dazzling smile. He was hot, frankly. Although I have to say that the fact that he was a vampire dragged that factor down a bit. He stepped closer to us, and his features were even more visible. He had chocolate skin, soft features and broad shoulders. He looked kind, actually. I found myself hoping that he would save me. I might have been putting on a brave face, but honestly, vampires scared the hell out of me.

"This one's mine." He added, and walked up to me with a sly grin. Crap.


	4. Chapter 4: You Don't Own Me

"Well well, aren't you a fascinating little girl." The vampire circled me, and it felt like he was undressing me with his gaze.

"I'm not a little girl, vampire." I spat the last words. I had no idea where my courage came from, to be honest. I had never been brave, I mostly just looked after myself.

"I may be a vampire, but what are you?" The handsome man was still grinning, but he did look genuinely fascinated with me. Because of my stupid powers.

"Are you going to eat me?" I asked him, not releasing his gaze. Then he surprised me by laughing out loud, showing off dimples and straight, white teeth. I wanted to leave, to get to a safe place, away from this man. I had been so certain that morning that I wanted adventure and change, but I was starting to doubt whether this was a good change. But I was frozen to the ground, and I had a feeling the vampire would stop me if I tried to run.

"Eat you? Nah, we only do that to innocent tourists." Smile. Was that a joke? Was there supposed to be something funny in killing innocent tourists? I didn't get it. "I have a feeling that you're not so innocent, and that you're here to stay."

"I don't know, being hunted by a vampire is not really a very welcoming gesture. My impression of this town so far isn't great, I have to say." Huh. My voice had stopped shaking. Well, he had told me that he wouldn't eat me. Humor gleaned in the man's eyes, and he stepped forward.

"My name is Marcel Gerard. I'm the king of this town." He reached out his hand, but I didn't take it. I don't know if it was because of the fear of seeing his future, or simply because he was a vampire.

"My name's Juliette Walters, and I seriously doubt you're the king of this town." I replied instead, crossing my arms.

"Aren't you a funny one?" I was expecting his voice to be menacing, but there was nothing there but humor. Maybe he was nice after all. But I still didn't like the 'feeding on tourists' part.

"I'm just very wary when it comes to vampires." I replied. I felt a calmness run through my heart, and my shoulders relaxed. If he was going to hurt me, he would've done it.

"A friend of mine called. Said a girl with very special powers was coming to my town." Marcel explained. He had now stopped circling me, probably since understanding that I wouldn't take any of his shit.

"Bree?" I gaped, the feeling of betrayal seeping into my heart. "Backstabbing bitch." I muttered under my breath.

"You should be thankful she did. If I hadn't known you were coming, I might not have come in time to stop Diego from feeding on you."

" _Thanks._ " I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Well, if you're here to get me to predict your future, you can go home. I'm not some palm reader crazy old lady who takes payment."

"I want to help you." Marcel replied with a small smile, crossing his arms over his chest. I raised my brows at him with surprise.

"Help me?"

* * *

"I've seen this place before." I took a few steps into the court and heard Marcel follow me in. I gazed at the balconies surrounding the court, and the old walls with cracked tapestry. The furnitures were antique, and it gave the house a regal theme. "In a dream." I whispered. I remembered dreaming of a house like this, and there was someone watching me in the dream. It hadn't been creepy, but calming in some sort of way. I remembered feeling safe in this place, and…

"I remember laughing and heartache and sadness." I added with a frown. I had had this dream long ago, when I had been about fourteen years old. Never would I have guessed that I was seeing the future.

"Welcome to my home; The Abattoir." Marcel exclaimed and held out his hands, but his voice sounded strange. Too much emotion in it, in some way. He had been so light and easy when he cornered me in the alley.

"It's beautiful." A smile formed on my lips and my heart felt lighter. I felt safe. In a vampire's home, I know. Pretty weird. But my psychic mind and heart worked in strange ways.

"I would offer you a drink, but I have feeling you're not 21 yet." Marcel chuckled and walked past me, to a table with drinks on it. I looked at the bottle of bourbon and sighed.

"What makes you think that?" I asked him, making my 5 ft 2 body look taller by straightening my back and raising my chin.

"Your ID." Marcel pulled out a thin card from his pocket and held it up. I gasped and ripped it from his hand.

"How did you get that?!"

"I picked it from your pocket." He shrugged and sipped from his drink. I blushed and looked away. My ID card had been in my back pocket, and I hadn't even noticed him taking it. Yes, I was soooo wary of vampires…

"Alright, well.. If you don't give me drink I will go and get one myself." I threatened, crossing my arms. Marcel put down his glass and crossed his arms as well.

"Try me." He challenged me, stepping out wider, and I realized just how strong he looked. I gave out a frustrated sigh and looked away. Why couldn't I get super-strength or invisibility instead of being a whackjob with a sixth sense?

"Fine." I mumbled and slumped down into a chair. "Do you have some soda, then?" I gave him a sweet smile and Marcel relaxed a bit.

"Sure, I'll go get you one. Ice?"

"Yeah, that'd be great." I replied, and Marcel walked out of the room while shaking his head. As soon as he was out of the room, I walked straight across the room to the drink table. I took a shot glass and filled it with whiskey, and swigged it. The alcohol calmed me and I felt my shoulders relax.

"I heard that." Marcel scolded me as he walked back into the room, and I rolled my eyes.

"What are you, my dad?" I retorted, but then regretted it instantly. I sounded like a whiny teenager. Which I really wasn't.

"Thankfully, no." The vampire winked at me and handed me my soda. I didn't have time to ask him what he meant by that, because he sat down in one of the armchairs and looked at me intently.

"Tell me everything about your power."

* * *

"You're sure you're not a witch?" Marcel sighed. We were sitting quite close to each other on opposing armchairs, and I studied his face a little closer. He had long eyelashes and high cheekbones, and he must have been around 25 years old. Yet he didn't feel that much older than me, but his happy smile probably made him look much younger than his years.

"Bree said I wasn't."

"Are your parents human?"

"Excuse me?" I coughed on my soda and looked at Marcel with wide eyes.

"Well, if one of your parents is a witch, then you might have gotten some powers from them." He explained, and I straightened my face again. Of course.

"I'm almost sure they are both human. None of them practices magic at least." I had never thought of it actually. They were just normal parents.

"Huh." Marcel frowned and scuttled closer to me. The smell of his cologne hit my nose and I was suddenly aware just how close we were. My heart was racing and my cheeks were warm. The vampire reached out his hand as if to touch my hair.

"Look, just so you know; I don't normally follow random guys to their appartments–" I looked around me and corrected myself. "–houses. And I don't sleep with them either. So back off." I looked Marcel dead in the eye and tried to make my voice stable. It wasn't as if I felt threatened by him, I just… Wanted to get things straight. I didn't want him to think I was some girl who would put out for anyone with a nice smile and handsome face. Marcel kept moving closer to me, and he reached out his arm behind me. I felt his breath tickle my cheek and my heart skipped a beat. Then he pulled back again after what seemed like an eternity, but I saw that he was holding something in his hand.

"Relax." He said, but he winked, which made me think that he may not have entirely gotten my message. "I was only going to give you this."

"Wait, you're giving me a necklace? We met like… an hour ago."

"Three hours."

"What? Really?" I raised my brows at him, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the necklace he was holding. It was a beautiful amethyst stone on a thin silver chain.

"This contains vervain. It will protect you from vampires." Marcel explained, and I tore my eyes away from the jewelry to meet his eyes.

"How?"

"I told you earlier that vampires can compel people, right? Well, this necklace prevents the mind control from working." He bent forward and clasped the necklace around my neck, and I was once again reminded how close we were. It felt thrilling and frightening at the same time. But in a second, the necklace was fastened and Marcel pulled away.

"Thank you." I said, all sarcasm gone from my voice. See, I wasn't always sarcastic. Only like 90% of the time.

* * *

We stayed up talking until I pretty much passed out on his couch from exhaustion. I had wanted to go back to the motel, but Marcel insisted I'd stay. Not in some perverted way of course, he just thought it still wasn't safe for me to go out alone. I pointed out that he and his vampire mercenaries were the danger, but he only replied with a slow shake of his head.

You can imagine my surprise when I woke up to see that I was surrounded by vampires, eating breakfast. You know, I never would've pegged vampires to be the type to sit and eat pancakes in pyjamas and sporting bed heads.

"'Sup?" The vampire who attacked me the day before asked me as he walked by, Diego, I think, and I instinctively recoiled. I picked up the blanket Marcel must have put on me after I had fallen asleep and was about to cover myself when I realized that I was fully dressed. Hygienic. Guess someone would have to do some shopping later.

"So you're the psychic?" A female vampire asked me as I sat down at the breakfast table. She had short hair and a lot of makeup, and wore a dark pyjamas with vampire fangs on it. Ironic. I liked it.

"Word travels around fast, I see." I only replied, reaching for the blood orange juice.

"You shouldn't drink that." The gothic vampire warned me, holding up her hand. I frowned at her and she gave me a meaning look. I let go of the bottle of juice with a disgusted gasp.

"That's gross! You actually put real blood in the orange juice?!"

"Hey, we have to drink blood somehow." The vampire defended herself, and multiple vampires around the table chuckled. I suddenly felt very exposed as many of the eyes watching me fastened on my bare neck.

"Anyway, we know about you because Marcel told us all to back off." The woman explained, sipping on the orange juice. It made my appetite leave completely.

"How nice of him."

"He seems to have a soft spot for you." She purred, and the vampires around us chuckled again. I desperately fought back a blush, but seemed to fail since they laughed even more.

"So what are you, his slaves?" I retorted, toughing up my voice. I expected her to get angry, but she only shrugged.

"We work for Marcel because we're grateful to him. He saved us all from our miserable lives, and besides, he knows how to run this city so that we all get to hunt like actual vampires." She swigged the last of her blood/orange juice/whatever and put down the glass on the table before licking her lips.

"Stop it, you're making me blush." Marcel's voice echoed from the top of the stairs, and my eyes fastened on his smile. The vampires seemed to straighten their backs, and I could see in their eyes just how much respect they had for him. I wonder how so many lethal creature could follow one man as if he was their king, a man they could probably kill if they wanted to. At least they had to be his equals.

"I see you've all met Juliette." He stated as he walked down the stairs. I liked the way his southern accent pronounced my name; it made it sound melodic in some way.

"Yes. She's very cocky." The short-cut female vampire next to me replied, and I frowned at her. "Don't worry, sweetie, I like it." She added, and smiled.

"Thanks. I think…" I muttered under my breath.

"Guys, we have some work to do today." Marcel exclaimed and crossed his arms. His happy expression turned grim, and the vampires around the table looked grave as well.

"The witches again?" A guy in the corner of the room said. He seemed nice; he hadn't laughed when the other vampires made fun of me.

"Yes. Finish up, we leave in ten minutes." Marcel commanded, and all sorts of displeased mutters sounded across the room. I raised my eyebrows and bit my tongue not to start laughing. The whole scene reminded me of a parent trying to make their teenager some to a family picnic.

"Ten minutes?! I'm not even dressed yet!" The female vampire to my right exclaimed with wide eyes, and the leader scolded her.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have slept until eleven, Roxy." He retorted, and I looked at Roxy. Her name suited her style perfectly. She rolled her eyes at Marcel before walking past him.

"I might be a vampire, but I still need my beauty sleep." She muttered, but I could tell that the subject was done. _Wait, eleven?!_ As soon as all the vampires had started shuffling out of the room, I walked up to Marcel.

"I need to leave now, but… Thank you for the help. I really appreciate it." I told him honestly, and his shoulders seemed to relax. He smiled at me, the recent traces of worry on his forehead completely erased.

"You're welcome, and hey, if you need something, call me."

"Are you giving me your number?" I raised my brows. "Look, I'm really flattered, but–"

"Just take it, and call in case something happens." Marcel interrupted me and held out a card. Yes, you heard me. A card, not a piece of paper. A freaking laminated card with his name in a professional font and his phone number. I let out a chuckle and shook my head.

"Thanks. I will." I said lastly, before picking up my backpack and leaving the Abattoir.

* * *

"Hi." I told the blonde in the bar with a small smile.

"Hello." She replied politely, throwing her towel across her shoulder.

"I was wondering if I could work here? I'm new in town and I haven't managed to get a job yet." I said, trying to sound mature. Yes yes, I know a bar may not be the right place for a seventeen year-old to work, but I just had a feeling that it would be a good idea.

"Sure uhm, can you show me your ID, to begin with?" The barista asked with a kind smile. She seemed to be around Marcel's age, and she was very pretty. I reluctantly gave her my ID and waited for the 'no' to come out of her mouth.

"I know I'm a minor but I thought I could work during the day and be a waitress–" I started, but I saw the look on the woman's face.

"I'm sorry, but I can't hire a minor." She said, her voice filled with pity. "But… You don't happen to know how to sing?" She asked me, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"I don't know if I'm very good, but I've taken lessons since I was ten." I replied with a smile.

"I'll tell you what; You go up there and sing a song for me, and if I like it, you're hired."

"As a singer?" My heart was already racing. It had been one of my dreams as a little kid, to be a singer.

"Pick a song, I have most records in karaoke in the box over there. I would offer you the live band, but they only work nights." The woman explained with a wink. I gulped and went over to check the box with vinyls.

 _Feeling Good, Fever, Dream a little dream of me…_ These were all songs that I knew by heart. I finally picked one and put it in the vinylrecord. The blonde woman gave me a thumbs up after turning the microphone and I tried not to wet myself when the music started.

" _At last my love has come along"_ I felt my nervousness disappear as soon as I had sung the first note, and I let myself be carried away in the music. I have to say, I sounded pretty much amazing. " _My lonely days are over and life is like a song, oh yeah"_ I closed my eyes and pretended I was alone in my room, singing in front of my mirror with a hairbrush in my hand.

" _At last the skies above are blue_

 _My heart was wrapped up clover the night I looked at you_

 _I found a dream that I can speak to_

 _A dream that I could call my own_

 _I found a thrill to press my cheek to_

 _A thrill I've never known, oh yeah_

 _You smiled, you smiled oh and then the spell was cast_

 _And here we are in Heaven_

 _For you are mine at last"_

The woman clapped her hands and her face was spread in a wide smile. I guessed that was a good sign.

"You're hired." She stated as soon as I got down from the stage. Some guy in the corner of the room clapped too, and I blushed. I hadn't even seen him sitting there. "I could never say no to such talent."

"Thank you." I answered with a shy smile. The woman reached out a hand.

"My name's Camille, but you can call me Cami." She introduced herself. I took her hand and shook it. Nothing happened. Apparently my psychic powers didn't kick in every time I touched someone. It was relieving, but made the whole power a lot more mysterious.

"I'm Juliette, but you can call me Julie." Cami smiled and let go of my hand before turning her back to me and walking back to the bar. She wiped the wooden counter and then poured herself a glass of water.

"Welcome to Rousseau's. Your shift starts at seven pm."

* * *

I walked along Bourbon street, munching on my burrito, with a light heart. I had gotten a job. I was going to be paid for _singing._ And here I had thought I was going to have to clean the dishes in the back of some filthy restaurant before I turned eighteen.

I bumped into a man and saw him dying on his death bed in a hospital. The picture came as such a shock that I stopped in the middle of the street. My heart stopped, but I kept walking. _It's nothing._ A woman brushed my shoulder as she hurried past me, and I saw her drown in a lake. But everyone around me walked on as if nothing had happened. _It'll pass. Just keep a straight face and keep walking._ I tried my best to avoid touching people, but it wasn't easy. I was walking on one of the most popular streets in New Orleans. It was packed with people. Another man brushed my arm has he passed me, and I saw him stab someone. I stopped in terror, and a woman cursed at me from behind me before pushing past me. I saw her getting bitten by a vampire, the blood trailing down her neck. _Don't lose your shit._ I gulped and ignored the panic rising up in my chest.

"Hewwo?" A squeaky voice said from my feet. A little girl was tugging at my skirt, and my eyes widened.

"No, don't–" Too late. The girl's small hand connected with my leg, and the image filled up my brain. The little girl was in a kitchen, coughing her lungs out, before falling down to the floor.

"STOP!" I shouted at full strength, and everyone around me stopped in their tracks. The little girl released me and started crying in fear. I reached down to comfort her, but her mother tore her away from me. The look I met in her eyes… It was full of hatred, fear and disgust. She looked at me like I was crazy. Which I was. I turned on my heel and ran. I ran away from the people in the street, who were watching me as if I was an alien. I ran until I found a deserted alley, and leaned against the brick wall, my knees buckling under me.

"Shit, shit, shit." I mumbled over and over, taking shallow breaths. I didn't know for how much longer I could take the visions.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" I shouted at the sky in frustration. I had never asked to see how five year-old girls were going to die. What kind of a sick superpower was that, really?

"SHUT UP!" Someone shouted from an apartment above me, reaching out their head out the window.

"YOU SHUT UP!" I yelled, before recollecting myself. I had more things to do that afternoon.

* * *

I had been excited for my first shift earlier that day, but when I walked through the door to the bar at 6:55 pm, I wanted nothing more than to wear sweatpants and eat ice-cream and cry my eyes out. The afternoon had taken a bad turn, you could say.

"Early, I see." Cami said as I walked up to the bar.

"Can I have a shot of espresso? I need a pick-me-up." I sighed and slouched in the bar stool

"Alright, but you know you're going up in five minutes, right?" She answered before handing me the tiny cup. I swallowed it and my face distorted at the bitter taste. But my head instantly cleared up and my heart was calmed.

"Thanks. Take it from my salary." I told Cami before taking off my leather jacket. I had had time to do some shopping after the incident, and to go back to the motel where my car was still parked to change. Now, I was wearing a tight red dress. (Not too tight, of course.) It was a beautiful burgundy shade and ended at my knees.

"Ready?" Cami asked me with a raise of her brows before going up on the stage. More a statement than a question, however.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you; Our new singer at Rousseau's!" She beckoned me up to the stage, and I stepped up. Cami passed me the mic and mouthed a 'good luck' before stepping down from the stage.

"Hello. My name's Juliette Walters, and my first song for the evening will be 'You don't own me' by Brenna Whitaker." I said, and turned back to the band. They nodded at me, signalling that they knew the song. I made a mental note to always check with them before going up on stage. The audience clapped, and I was acutely aware of just how many people were watching me. The bar was packed with people, old and young.

The music started playing, and I shut my eyes to ignore the eyes on me.

" _You don't own me_

 _I'm not just one of your many toys_

 _You don't own me_

 _Don't say I can't go with other boys_

 _And don't tell me what to do_

 _Don't tell me what to say_

 _And please, when I go out with you_

 _Don't put me on display 'cause_

 _You don't own me_

 _Don't try to change me in any way_

 _You don't own me_

 _Don't tie me down 'cause I'd never stay_

 _I don't tell you what to say_

 _I don't tell you what to do_

 _So just let me be myself_

 _That's all I ask of you_

 _I'm young and I love to be young_

 _I'm free and I love to be free_

 _To live my life the way I want_

 _To say and do whatever I please_

 _And don't tell me what to do_

 _Oh, don't tell me what to say_

 _And please, when I go out with you_

 _Don't put me on display_

 _I don't tell you what to say_

 _Oh, don't tell you what to do_

 _So just let me be myself_

 _That's all I ask of you_

 _I'm young and I love to be young_

 _I'm free and I love to be free_

 _To live."_

The applause filled the room and I smiled at the audience. After a couple of seconds of clapping, they stood up. Jeez, a standing ovation. I would never have expected that. I beamed before announcing my second song.

* * *

I left the bar at 11 pm, my heart bouncing with joy. The night had been a great success, and I had made 50 dollars. This whole 'running away and living my own life' thing was working perfectly for me now. Which made me remember that I hadn't checked my phone since I had left Mystic Falls. It was in a duffel bag in my mother's red honda, turned off. I was certain that it was packed with hundreds of messages from Caroline and my parents, which was exactly why it was still in the car and not in my hand.

I was skipping happily (childish, I know) when I fell to the ground. I went blind, again. Pictures filled my head, and I fumbled for the ground with my hands, trying to regain my balance. I was not quite sure what I was seeing as first. Blobs of color blurred my vision. Blood red, black, grey, navy blue… Then the images went clearer. I saw a field in the distance. A huge field, below a stormy sky. There was something on the field, but I couldn't see what it was. Then the picture started zooming in. The dots on the field became shapes, the color clearer. There were splashes of red, and twisted objects filling the whole field. In the middle, a pile of something towered. The picture zoomed in closer. They were bodies. There was a pile of bodies in the middle of the field, and spread all around it were more bodies, twisted in different angles. The ground around them was soaked with blood. They stared up at me with empty eyes, and the picture vanished.

I tried to stand up as I regained my sight, but my legs failed. Instead I sunk down to the ground and started sobbing. I hated to cry, really hated it, but this time I couldn't stop it. It was all too much. It was as if I was living a constant nightmare. I was afraid to close my eyes, because I might see someone I knew die. So I stayed there in the middle of the street, crying like a little baby.

"Juliette?" A familiar voice echoed from behind me. I felt a warm hand on my back and instinctively pulled back. I was done with seeing dead people for the day.

"Are you alright?" Marcel asked me with a worried look. I dried my cheeks and stood up.

"I just saw about two hundred people lying dead on a field. No, I'm not alright." I replied, my voice shaking. Marcel reached out his hand toward my shoulder.

"No! Don't touch me, I don't want to see–"

"Calm down, Juliette. You won't see me die, okay?" He intervened, and I stood still. His soft palm connected with the skin on my shoulder, and time seemed to freeze.

"Trust me." Those two words sent down an impact down my spine, and I started crying again. I didn't want to trust him. I didn't want to trust anyone. Not when I knew that I would probably watch them die some day. But Marcel didn't seem to care about that. He pulled me into a hug, and I sobbed into his chest. Not so much because of the vision I had just had, but because of the absence of human contact I had had since I first started getting visions.

"Let's get you home." Marcel mumbled into my hair.

* * *

"This is the guestroom." The vampire leader of New Orleans told me as I followed him into the big room. The bed was huge, and he dropped my duffel bag on top of it. "I'll be in the last room down the hall. Come to me if you need anything." He didn't release my gaze, and my heart contracted. There was so much compassion in those eyes. It scared me. I wasn't used to people caring about me… Both my parents were emotionless robots, and Caroline didn't care that much about me. But that was easy. That meant I didn't have to care about them either. This was different.

"Okay. Thank you." I replied, and Marcel gave me one last comforting smile before closing the door behind him. How many times had I thanked him during those last 24 hours?

Later on, I found myself thinking of him as I looked at the high ceiling. I wondered if he was sleeping, or if he was dealing with some vampire business… If he was thinking of me. Than I realized how silly my thoughts sounded, and turned off the light and closed my eyes before drifting off into sleep.


	5. Chapter 5: Dream A Little Dream Of Me

I jerked awake and panted. My heart was racing and I felt nauseous. The room I was in was unfamiliar at first, until my sight adjusted to the darkness. Marcel's guest room. Marcel… A picture from my nightmare resurfaced in my mind. I had seen him lying cold on the floor, veins visible over his entire face. His skin had turned an ashy color, and he had been so still, so still. I felt the acid taste of bile in the back of my throat and swallowed.

It wasn't as if I cared about Marcel. I had just met him, and he had treated me really good. I respected him. Okay, maybe I even cared for him a little. But just a little.

The problem about my nightmare/vision was that since Marcel was a vampire, there was no way to know when his death would occur. He would never age.

I looked back at my sweat-soaked bed and thought of going back to sleep. Just to see more of the people I cared about die. No, the single thought made me want to puke with fear. My heart wouldn't go back into it's normal pace, and I went into the guest bathroom to rinse the sweat off. I thought that a warm shower would calm me, but it did quite the opposite. After less than a minute I jumped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, hugging it closer to me. My pale, freckle-covered face was looking back at me through the mirror. The bags under my eyes were bigger than ever, and my ashy lips were chapped. The clock on the bathroom wall told me it was only 4 am, and I sighed. My blue silk nightdress stuck to my towel dried body as I walked back into the room. I had to get my sleep. But only looking at the big, lonely room and the big bed made my heart thump loudly in my ears. I was scared.

I winged it. My heart raced, but in a whole other way than before, as I walked towards the door at the end of the corridor. I wasn't sure if Marcel would be there, but he had told me to go to him if anything happened. And frankly, I really didn't feel like being alone in that moment. Another part of me was afraid that any of the other vampires would be home and see me tip-toe towards Marcel's room. That would be very embarrassing.

Luckily, no one had seen me so far. I put my hand on the cold door handle and took a deep breath before pushing it down. I shut it behind me quietly before turning around. The room was beautiful, even in the darkness. The walls were clad in navy blue tapestry, decorated with golden at the ceiling and the floor. There was an open window in the far left of the room, and it seemed to lead to a balcony. A cold brush of air hit me, and I hugged my arms around my body.

My eyes moved to the king-sized bed in the middle of the room. Marcel was spread across the bed, his warm complexion a contrast to the white sheets. _Don't even think about it, Juliette._ I told myself firmly. Still, I couldn't stop my feet from moving. As I got closer to the bed, I watched Marcel's peaceful expression. It made me envious. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to be able to shut my eyes without seeing dead bodies.

 _Don't freaking do it. You're acting like a stalker._ I walked to the other side of the bed quietly. Marcel made me feel safe, and I was too scared to sleep alone. Surely, it couldn't be so wrong of me to want company? I sighed softly before climbing into the bed next to him as silently as I could. He shifted a bit in his sleep and mumbled something incoherent. Then, to my surprise, he wrapped his arms around me. I almost let out a gasp but decided against it. I didn't want to wake him up.

It wasn't exactly easy to fall asleep now either, when I couldn't stop thinking about Marcel's warm chest pressed against my back and his strong arms hugging me close. But eventually, the steady rhythm of his heart calmed me and I managed to fall asleep.

* * *

The birds were chirping outside and I smiled blissfully. I hadn't had another nightmare, and I finally felt at peace.

"Good morning." Something under my face vibrated and my heart stopped. Oh my God. I was laying on Marcel's chest. Within a second, I had jumped up as far away from him as possible and pulled the covers with me. Then I just stared at him with wide eyes for a couple seconds.

"If it helps, I woke up with you on my chest." He winked and clasped his hands on his chest. How the hell was that supposed to help?! _This is not happening._ For some reason, I had expected Marcel not to find out that I had crept into his bed when he was sleeping. Which I now realized was extremely stupid since he had to wake up at some point.

"I'm so sorry–"

"It's okay." Marcel held up his hand and pulled off the covers before getting out of the bed. _Oh my God._ He was only wearing boxers. I had slept with (not in that way, you perverts) a grown up almost naked man. I wondered what Caroline would've said if she would've seen me now.

"I had a nightmare. I couldn't go back to sleep." I explained, my eyes somehow stuck on Marcel's muscled back. Shit, the fact that he was so hot didn't exactly help.

"I understand. And I meant what I said when I told you to come to me if anything happened." Marcel's words didn't soothe me. I wanted to disappear off the face of the earth and never come back again. I stepped out of the bed and felt the vampire's eyes on me as I walked towards the door.

"Juliette?"

"Yes?" I stopped in my tracks and bit my lip. He was going to scold me. I was seventeen, for God's sake. He probably thought of me as a little girl.

"What was your nightmare about? What did you see?" My heart stopped.

"A stranger. Dying." I told him, before pushing down the door-handle with a heavy heart.

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!" Caroline's voice rang in my ears and I took the phone away from ears. I hadn't even listened to her voicemails before calling her up.

"I'm–"

"YOU'RE COMPLETELY OUT OF YOUR MIND!"

"Yes, but–"

"AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME!"

"I have a reason–"

"I WAS SO WORRIED, NOT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR PARENTS–"

"SHUT UP, CAROLINE!" I finally shouted. The other line went silent. "Let me explain, please."

Silence. I could tell she was still pissed at me, but at least she had stopped jabbering.

"Vicki Donovan was attacked at the party, am I right?"

"How did you know that?" I sighed and wiped the sweat from my forehead. It was a warm day, and I was standing in plain sunlight right beside my car. On top of that, I was also wearing my new leather jacket (which was totally gorgeous but sadly very warm for a september day in the South).

"I saw it in a vision."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not. I saw it in a vision as clear as if I was there, and then I was there in the forest and saw it happen. And it was exactly like my vision."

"My mom still hasn't figured out what happened. You're saying you're an eye witness?" Okay, she was totally missing the point here. I was telling her how much of a freak I was.

"Not the point, Care. Anyway, so then as I ran home, I got another vision. I saw my own grave, and it was dated in a week. You were there, crying. Wearing that black dress you bought last summer."

"The one with a bow on the belt?" I was talking about my funeral, and she was asking me about the dress. Jeez, she could be shallow.

"Yes. I realized that staying in Mystic Falls would lead to my death. So I left."

"You left." She repeated, her voice light and careless. But I could hear the underlying sarcasm.

"I'm sorry I didn't leave you a note–"

"You're _sorry?_ Julie, you don't have a right to say sorry. You've been gone for three days, without even telling me goodbye. I thought you were raped and killed at the party before I heard about your parents' money and car being gone."

"I freaked out, okay? I couldn't breathe. I had to leave." I felt the same anxiousness and panic rise up in my chest just by talking about the whole thing. I had thought that I had severed my bonds to Mystic Falls, and here they were, calling me.

" _You_ freaked out." The irony in Caroline's voice was thick as ice. "Well now that I know that you're okay, I have nothing more to say. Have fun with your new life, Juliette." She hung up without another word. I stood there and weighed my phone in my hand. Should I call her up? I did feel bad for leaving her, but I didn't feel like dealing with that problem for the moment.

15 messages from my parents. I put my phone on soundless mode before putting it in my pocket. Then I looked at the Red Honda with a frown. I didn't need the car anymore, and it was costing me money to keep parked at the motel.

I picked up my phone again and searched my backpack for the card Marcel had given me. I tapped his number and tapped my fingers against my waist as I listened to the signals.

"Marcel Gerard."

"Hi, it's Juliette." I told him, trying to hide the embarrassment that was still left from that morning. "I was wondering if I could ask you a favour."

"Look, I want to help you, but I'm not your taxi-driver." He replied, sounding genuinely sorry.

"Pleeease? Just one favour." I said with a pouty voice. Marcel was still silent on the other end of the line. "I owe you one?"

"Alright. What do you want me to do?"

* * *

 _Your car is at a gas station in Convent, Louisiana. I left it there. Don't try and track this phone number; I'm throwing it away. All I ask of you is to stop looking for me. I needed to leave. If you want an explanation, ask Caroline. For now, you're just going to believe that I'm alright and taking care of myself._

 _-Juliette_

 _P.S The keys are hidden under the front right wheel of the car._

"You really believe they won't come looking for you?" Marcel gave me a doubting look as we drove out of the parking at the gas station. I clicked send on my text message, and braced myself for the answer that was to come.

"You overestimate my parents' love for me." I chuckled sarcastically, looking through the window. I had to admit, Marcel's car was way fancier than "mine". It was a black Mercedes, and was clad in white leather inside.

"And they won't want their money back?" He looked at the road in front of him and took the turn towards New Orleans.

"Sure they will. But honestly, I think they'll be relieved that I left after a while." I felt his eyes look at me with some kind of compassion but ignored it. "I wasn't exactly easy to deal with."

"I didn't think so." Marcel answered with a grin. I stuck out my tongue at him, but have him a small smile even so.

"Thank you for picking me up. I didn't really feel like walking all the way back to the City, and I had to leave the car as far away as possible so they wouldn't immediately assume that I wasn't in New Orleans." I explained, and Marcel shrugged.

"I have a stop to do anyway. So you're going to have to help me with something." He said, taking the left turn instead of the right one, that led to New Orleans.

"We're going out to the Bayoux?" I asked the vampire and frowned at him. He turned to me and flashed me a grin before turning on a jazz song on the radio.

"Guess that's a yes, then."

* * *

Marcel shut the door behind him and I reluctantly stepped out of the car. I hadn't counted on being away the entire day, and it still felt awkward between us since that morning. I took in my surroundings while Marcel started unloading duffel bags from the car.

We were standing in a swamp, basically. The air was humid, and it made my shoulder length hair curl up and get twice as much volume. We had parked in the middle of nowhere, but straight ahead of me, there were a few cottages, and behind them, the sun glistened on a lake. It was quite beautiful for a swamp.

"Does someone live here?" I turned to Marcel and saw him wipe his forehead with his hand as he finally closed the trunk. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had dressed up too much for the warm day.

"Once every month." He replied, walking up to me and staring off into the distance, as if contemplating something. I frowned at him as he walked back to the car and started unpacking the duffel bags. Surprisingly, they were filled with food. He put down oreos, meat, milk, doritos, vegetables, eggs and all sorts of other nutrients on a wooden table next to the larger cottage. He worked in silence, but there was something wrong. He was too silent. I started wondering whether or not he was angry with me for bringing him with me, or if something else was weighing down his heart.

"Let's go." He muttered as soon as the bags were empty, and I followed him silently back to the car.

Ten minutes later, my curiosity got the best of me. I had never been good at being oblivious. Curiosity killed the cat, I'm aware of that, but it was like I this nagging physical _need_ to know everything.

"Are you going to tell me what that was about? Or did you think that if you leave the eggs there that an eggplant will grow and give you more eggs? 'Cause I'm sorry to tell you this, but that's not how nature works." I asked Marcel and turned down the music a bit. We were back on the road towards New Orleans.

"Although I would love to have an oreo-tree. Or maybe not. It wouldn't be great for the economics if everyone stopped buying oreos all of a sudden." I rambled on. One of my negative traits; I try to be funny when I'm nervous. Doesn't always work so well, which was the case that time.

"A while ago, werewolves lived in the city." Marcel said after a bit of silence. "The crescent wolves, they were called. But they got too many." I wondered what a werewolf looked like. Were they huge wolves, or normal-sized wolves? Or were they just very, very hairy men? I was so caught up in my own speculation that I didn't notice the remorse in Marcel's voice.

"They started revolting against my rules. They wanted more space, more freedom, more power. I tried to argue with them that my rule was for the best of the town, but they didn't listen." He continued, and I turned off the music completely. "You know that werewolf venom kills vampires, right?" I nodded, and suddenly my eyes rolled into the back of my skull. I recognized some of Marcel's vampires fighting with other people, but the latter had yellow eyes and canines. They started slashing at each-other in the middle of Bourbon Street, and several vampires got bitten. It was bloody, really bloody. Then, my sight returned again, but Marcel didn't seem to have noticed anything.

"Many of my vampires died. The only solution was to contain the werewolves somehow, but to do that, I had to contact a witch." He gave me a knowing look.

"Bree? That's how you know her?" I raised my brows as he took a turn to the right. The car was running so smooth, it felt like we were barely moving at all, even though we were driving really fast.

"She's from New Orleans." Marcel acknowledged with a nod. He clenched his jaw, and the motion was irritatingly attractive. "Anyway, she put a spell on them. The crescent wolves are now bound to only regain their human form every full moon, and remain in wolf form for the rest of the month." He avoided my gaze and looked out of his window absently.

"And now you feel obliged to help them in some way, so you drive out here once a month to bring them food?" Marcel nodded, and I sighed. He was freaking perfect. How could one man be so kind? I struggled even being nice to the people I liked… I couldn't even imagine how it would be to _help_ my enemies.

"You shouldn't feel guilty, Marcel. You did what was right for your people." I comforted him. looking away from the road ahead of us and meeting his chocolate brown eyes.

"That's what I tell myself every day, but I don't believe it." He sounded vulnerable, as opposed to the Marcel who had been a rock to me the previous night when I had cried my heart out to him.

"I'll never understand you." I stated with a shrug of my shoulders. Marcel raised his brows in a question. "You're so goddamn good to everyone, treat everyone like an equal. You take in young girls like me because you want to help them… You're so warm and giving. Yet you feel guilty for protecting those you love from dying."

Silence settled as Marcel looked at me. There was more than remorse in his eyes. There was amazement, caring and surprise. I think I even saw him blush, and smiled to myself inwardly.

"I haven't always been good, you know."

"Yeah, like I'm supposed to believe you." I rolled my eyes with a chuckle. A smile spread across his face, and it warmed my heart. "People like you, with golden hearts, you are born with the sense of right and wrong and others… Like me, understand nothing but their own happiness." Marcel opened his mouth and I got a feeling that he was about to deny what I just said, so I continued.

"My shift starts in an hour, could you drop me off at the motel?" We had just entered the city again. I didn't know if leaving Marcel felt good or bad. Something about him made me want to stay in his warming and comforting embrace all the time, but I'm sure that was what scared me as well. I didn't want to care about someone, not when I knew they could die any minute. Of course I had known that before, but let's just say seeing them die made it a whole lot harder to ignore the fact that death takes us all.

"Of course but– You do know you should get your own place to stay soon, right? Staying at a motel isn't a very sustainable solution." Marcel held my gaze and I sighed, slumping with my shoulders.

"I know. If I had had any idea how much renting a place would cost, I would've taken my mother's credit card too." Marcel chuckled at my comment, and I gave him a small smile.

"You're welcome to stay at the Abattoir until you can get your own apartment." He stated, and I looked ahead of us, at the dirty motel towering over the other buildings. I really didn't want to spend a night there.

"I'll think of it." I answered while Marcel stopped the car. I thanked him before climbing out and shutting the door behind me. While I walked back to the motel, I thought of what it would be living with him. It would of course be a whole lot more comfortable than staying at a motel. But I was scared of my own feelings.

How could someone as cold-hearted as I was have so strong emotions towards one man?

* * *

 _ **"Stars shining bright above you;**_

 _ **Night breezes seem to whisper 'I love you'.**_

 _ **Birds singing in the sycamore tree.**_

 _ **Dream a little dream of me.**_

 _ **Say nighty-night and kiss me;**_

 _ **Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me.**_

 _ **While I'm alone, blue as can be,**_

 _ **Dream a little dream of me.**_

 _ **Stars fading but I linger on, dear -**_

 _ **Still craving your kiss.**_

 _ **I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear,**_

 _ **Just saying this...**_

 _ **Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you -**_

 _ **Sweet dreams that leave all worries behind you.**_

 _ **But in your dreams, whatever they be,**_

 _ **Dream a little dream of me.**_

 _ **Stars fading but I linger on, dear -**_

 _ **Still craving your kiss.**_

 _ **I'm longing to linger till dawn, dear,**_

 _ **Just saying this...**_

 _ **Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you -**_

 _ **Sweet dreams that leave all worries far behind you.**_

 _ **But in your dreams, whatever they be,**_

 _ **Dream a little dream of me."**_

The crowd cheered as I stepped down from the scene. Two guys came up to me and asked for my number, but I politely declined, however flattered. I walked straight up to the bar, where Cami was smiling at me proudly.

"I never thought you'd be so good for the industry." She winked at me while pouring vodka into a glass and handing it to Roxy. Yeah, apparently this was Roxy's favorite bar. And she hadn't stopped talking about my singing voice since she had arrived.

"I'm not _that_ good." I answered, blushing. Roxy swallowed the last of the vodka and made a sour expression.

"She's just modest. Girl, you're hella good." She said with a southern drawl, and I couldn't suppress a smile. I have to say, Roxy was starting to grow on me.

"Haven't you noticed how many people there are in the bar?" Cami asked me, her voice much more adult and reserved than Roxy's. The latter was for the evening wearing lace pantyhoses, a black halter dress and striped elbow-gloves. On top of that, her face was pasted with all sorts of makeup; black eyeshadow, red lipstick and black eyebrows that did _not_ match her red hair.

"Speaking of that, I'm going to go and take a snack." The vampire in question stood up and licked her lips, and I followed her eyes to a young man who was smiling at her. She then turned and rolled her eyes at me. "Relax. I'm just kidding." My heart sank back to it's normal place and my shoulders relaxed. Cami gave me a knowing smile before moving on to her next customer.

"Didn't know you could sing." I would recognize that deep voice anywhere. I turned around in my chair and fake-scolded the vampire.

"Are you stalking me now, Marcel?" I grinned at him, and he sat down next to me. He ordered a beer from Cami before turning back to me.

"This actually happens to be my favorite bar." He replied matter-of-factly, but there was a twinkle in his eyes. I bit my lip and flicked my hair behind me as I turned to look at him closer.

"Yeah, right." I challenged him, watching the creases around his eyes deepen as he smiled.

"And you're not the only one who has a talent for singing." He stated before calling Cami over. She looked at him with a kind smile and raised her brows.

"Could it be possible if I stole your beautiful new singer's spotlight for a song?" He asked the bartender with a charming smile.

"Of course." Marcel raised his brows as a challenge before leaving me to go up on stage. I turned around in my chair and watched him dance up on stage as if he was born there.

"WOOOHOOO! Marcel!" A girl shouted in the crowd as he flashed her a grin, and my heart clenched with jealousy. 'No feelings' my ass.

" _ **When the night has come  
And the land is dark  
And the moon is the only light we'll see  
No I won't be afraid  
Oh, I won't be afraid  
Just as long as you stand, stand by me"**_

My heart stopped as soon as Marcel started singing. His voice was amazing. Seriously, did he have no faults at all?!

 _ **"So darling, darling  
Stand by me, oh stand by me  
Oh stand, stand by me  
Stand by me"**_

I'd stand by anyone with that voice. The fact that it was Marcel multiplied my attraction to him with a 100.

 _ **"If the sky that we look upon  
Should tumble and fall  
Or the mountain should crumble to the sea  
I won't cry, I won't cry**_ _  
_ _ **No, I won't shed a tear  
Just as long as you stand, stand by me"**_

 _It's just Marcel. He's not a God. He's just a normal guy who happens to be totally gorgeous and has an amazing singing voice. Get your shit together, Juliette_ _ **.**_

 _ **"And darling, darling**_  
 _ **Stand by me, oh stand by me**_  
 _ **Oh stand now, stand by me**_  
 _ **Stand by me"**_

Oh God, I wanted him. I wanted those hands that gripped the microphone to roam my body. I wanted those twinkling brown eyes to catch mine and never look away. I wanted him.  
 _  
_ _ **"So darling, darling  
Stand by me, oh stand by me  
Oh stand now, stand by me, stand by me"**_

Okay, now it was just getting ridiculous. Marcel was looking straight at me teasingly, probably reading the emotions that were certainly written across my face. I didn't want him to think that he had that kind of effect on me (because I would never admit that it was true).

" _ **Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me  
Oh stand by me, won't you stand now, oh, stand  
**_  
No no no no why was this happening? Why did I all of a sudden have such strong feelings for Marcel? I had seen him die. And he was much older than me. I was just a little girl crushing on a mentor. So pathetic.  
"I'm not feeling very well." I told Cami quickly, as loudly as I could through the music. "I think I should go home before I puke on someone."  
"Alright. See you tomorrow if you feel better." The bartender told me with a compassionate smile. I returned it before pulling on my leather jacket and leaving the bar with a heavy heart.  
Believe it or not, but I could feel Marcel's eyes on me as I left.

* * *

"What was that?" Marcel called behind me as I walked back towards the motel.  
"Leave me alone." I replied, not stopping to let him catch up with me. He was a goddamn vampire, if he wanted to talk to me he could just vamp speed to me. Which was what he did, of course.  
"Have I done anything to offend you?" He reappeared in front of me and I recoiled in surprise. I tried ignoring him and walking past him, but he blocked my path. I glared at him while crossing my arms. He glared back and didn't move, so after about thirty seconds of silence, I spoke up.  
"No, you haven't done anything to offend me. I just don't feel very well." I lied smoothly, gripping my stomach to insinuate period cramps. Thinking I could fool him proved to be wrong, however.  
"There's something you're not telling me." He said quietly, studying my face with furrowed brows.  
"I have feelings for you, Marcel." I stated, ripping off the bandaid. "But I shouldn't have. For one, the age difference. Secondly, I cannot get close to anyone. Not with my power. Imagine if I'd wake up one day and see you cheating on me in the future? The relationship would never function."  
Marcel watched me in silence as I spoke, his eyes traveling down to my lips (as if I wouldn't notice).  
"I knew it." He grinned victoriously after a couple of seconds. I frowned at him and took a step back.  
"Excuse me?"  
"I knew you have feelings for me. Come on, you've been sending me hints ever since we first met." He teased, and I shot him a glare.  
"I have not."  
"All that teasing and sassiness? Not to speak about you climbing into my bed at night."  
"You're an ass." I retorted, rolling my eyes.  
"An ass you have feelings for, so good enough for me." His voice sounded serious as well as humorous, so I turned to meet his eyes. They were looking at me with awe and emotion. Was it possible...? His eyes switched from my lips to my eyes as he reached up a hand to brush the freckles on my cheek. The touch made my heart jump to life and my face heat up. Marcel noticed and smiled pleasingly. Then, without notice, he cupped my face with both of his hands and kissed me. His lips flourished mine softly, sending tingles down my spine. But as soon as I kissed him back, the kiss grew deeper. Our lips moved against each others' with an aching need for warmth and love. I was delirious for finally being close to someone. My habit of distancing myself from everyone had always led to me being very alone, even though I mostly denied it to others, but to myself as well.  
And even though I had kissed other guys before, it had never felt as intoxicating as kissing Marcel. The vampire put his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him, sending electrifying shocks of feeling into my skin. Oh, how I wanted to be even closer to him. I wanted to run my hands over his sculpted chest and kiss his neck. I pulled away to catch my breath, and his brown eyes dug into mine with a million questions in them.  
"About the age difference..." I started, panting from the kiss. I flashed him a wicked smile. "My eighteenth birthday is in a week." Marcel smiled at me warmly, brushing a blonde strand of hair behind my ear.  
"So we should probably wait until then." He stated and took a step back. I nodded reluctantly and the cold air brushed the skin that had only seconds ago been on fire. Not even a minute had passed, and I already missed the feeling of his embrace. How could I stay awake for a week, now that I knew that my feelings were returned? Ugh, stupid rules. On the other hand, I had never been a follower of rules. I did what I believed was right.  
On that note, I jumped at Marcel and kissed him again. It took less than a second before his hands were running down the small of my back and dangerously close to my butt. I smiled against his lips and pulled him even closer to me by grabbing the collar of his leather jacket.  
Suddenly, living with Marcel didn't seem so bad anymore.


	6. Chapter 6: Drunk In Love

_**Chapter 6: Drunk In Love**_

The floor in the entrance to the Abattoir was tainted with blood. An eerie silence inhabited the room as I took cautious steps, not daring to breathe. I had this twisted feeling in my stomach, but I couldn't control my legs. They brought me forward into the court, in spite of my screaming instincts. I knew I should run away, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. By the time I had entered the court, I let out a gasp. Of course, there were bodies on the floor. It seemed like there were always bodies involved every time I had a vision.

But I knew these bodies. I recognized many of them from Marcel's gang of vampires. Roxy was there, along with a guy named Marcus and a rocker named Leslie. I crouched down and reached to brush a red strand from Roxy's hair away from her face with a heavy heart. But, as I touched her hair, my hand went straight through her.

"It's been a long time since we did something like this, brother." A heavy british accent said behind me, and I froze in my crouch. I had heard that voice before. "If only you'd realize how good of a team we are. Perhaps we wouldn't have so many enemies then." I turned around slowly; not expecting what to see. Two men were standing in the middle of the room; I was surprised I hadn't seen them before.

"I only did this because it was necessary, brother." The dark haired one said. The other one, presumably his brother, flashed him a wicked grin. Disgust rose in my stomach; I didn't even think about how handsome he was.

"Indeed. Marcel should learn his lesson; he might have been king of this town before we arrived, but no one can beat me." The younger man said, the lamplight reflecting on his light brown, curly hair. He turned around, and I expected him to see me. But his eyes fastened on something behind me.

A jolt of electricity shot through me as I studied his face. I hadn't seen it entirely when he had been turned away from me, but I could see it clearly now. He had a strong jaw and sculpted cheekbones, and his lips were a work of art. He looked like a Greek God. But something dangerous flickered in his eyes; he was like a predator, ready to pounce on his prey.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, brother." He told the other man, who was drying the blood off his hands with a handkerchief. "I warned him to leave peacefully. Whatever happened after that is on his hands." The younger brother's lips turned into one last grin before the scene faded away.

* * *

I woke up silently, to my surprise. On the other hand, it hadn't been an extremely terrifying dream either. It had been unsettling, of course, but not terrifying. I tried to close my eyes again and fall back asleep, but all I could see was the wicked grin on that man's face.

After about half an hour of tossing and turning in my bed, I therefore got up. I knew I wouldn't be able to fall asleep alone. That vision might not have been scary, but God knows what vision I would get next. I wouldn't risk it. I pulled on a pair of sweatpants and freshened up a bit in the bathroom before silently leaving the room.

As soon as I opened the door, soft tunes of music filled my ears. I had been about to go to Marcel's room, but I stopped in my tracks and looked down from the balcony. Someone was playing on the piano in the corner of the large room, and the music was breathtakingly beautiful. I tip-toed down the stairs as silently as I could, and watched the man play as if he was in a trance. But of course, being a vampire, he heard me and stopped playing.

"Please don't stop." I said, but he didn't turn around. "Thierry, right?" I added, and he turned around and nodded at me. I remembered him from the breakfast I had with the vampires. He had been one of the few who hadn't laughed at me.

"What were you playing?" My voice was still hoarse after sleeping, but Thierry gave me a small smile.

"Something I've made up on my own." He reluctantly admitted, and I gaped at him.

"Really? It was absolutely amazing." I told him with an incredulous look. He blushed and turned around on the stool again. I sat down in one of the armchairs and waited a couple of seconds before opening my mouth. "Can you please play it for me again?" Silence. I was sure that he would leave, and slumped deeper into the cushion with disappointment. But then I heard the soft tunes again and closed my eyes. The minor keys made me feel melancholic, sad and mourning all at once. I found myself wondering what made Thierry felt those things. And I shouldn't have opened that window, because I got my answers through my sixth sense. I saw Thierry with a woman, and they were clearly in love. They were laughing, and her skin glowed in happiness. Then I saw another scene, where they were both sitting around a table in some kind of botanic garden. The woman blushed at him before moving her hands in the air. All sorts of leaves spread on the table suddenly started floating higher and higher into the air.

"Your girlfriend's a witch?" I said before I could stop myself. Thierry stopped playing and an eerie silence settled between us. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry… It's just that I can't control my visions just yet."

"It's alright." Thierry answered slowly, and I got up from the couch to walk over to the piano. "Yes, she's a witch."

"That music is about her, isn't it?" I asked him softly, sitting down next to him on the piano chair. "Why is it so sad?" I added with a frown.

"She's getting older and older. She will grow old and die, and I won't." He answered, and I was amazed at the fact that he was sharing these things with me. I guess he assumed that I would find out anyway.

"Can't you make her a vampire, then?" I felt ashamed at meddling in his private life, but as always, my curiosity got the best of me.

"If a witch becomes a vampire, she loses her powers." Thierry admitted, and his blue eyes met mine, filled with sorrow. My heart stopped. I had never considered becoming a vampire, but now… What if my powers also disappeared if I became one?

* * *

Thierry went to bed about half an hour later, after playing me a couple of more songs. But all that was going around in my head was a single question; Would I take the risk of becoming a vampire to get rid of my horrible visions? I would be immortal. I would never grow old. Never have children.

Well, at least the last statement wasn't a big deal. I have always hated children, and I have known since I was five that I don't want to have children in the future. But then there was that slight fact that I would have to feed on humans… Drink blood. The mere sight of blood made me nauseous. How on earth would I drink it, then? Disgusting.

But could I really live with those atrocious visions of mine for the rest of my life?

I tip-toed to Marcel's bed silently, smiling at his sleeping form. I walked up to him and stroke his cheek softly. He truly was beautiful. Everything about him was beautiful.

"Juliette?" He mumbled suddenly, slowly opening his eyes. I gave him a small smile and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Did you have another vision?" His voice was filled with worry as he sat up and caressed my hand softly. I leaned into his touch but shook my head.

"I have something to say, and I want you to listen to me first, before you start freaking out." I told him, looking into his eyes, which had the color of melted chocolate. I leaned toward him and kissed the crease that formed between his brows.

"Of course." His voice was hoarse, but calm. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before opening them again.

"I want you to turn me into a vampire."


	7. Chapter 7: Ain't No Mountain High Enough

_Three years later_

" _ **Listen baby, ain't no mountain high,**_

 _ **Ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough baby**_

 _ **If you need me call me no matter where you are,**_

 _ **No matter how far; don't worry baby**_

 _ **Just call my name; I'll be there in a hurry**_

 _ **You don't have to worry,**_

 _ **Oh baby there ain't no mountain high enough,**_

 _ **Ain't no valley low enough,**_

 _ **Ain't no river wide enough**_

 _ **To keep me from getting to you babe**_

 _ **Remember the day I set you free**_

 _ **I told you you could always count on me darling**_

 _ **From that day on, I made a vow,**_

 _ **I'll be there when you want me,**_

 _ **Some way, some how**_

 _ **Oh baby there ain't no mountain high enough,**_

 _ **Ain't no valley low enough,**_

 _ **Ain't no river wide enough**_

 _ **To keep me from getting to you babe**_

 _ **Oh no darling**_

 _ **No wind, no rain**_

 _ **Or winters cold can stop me baby, na na baby**_

 _ **'Cause you are my goal**_

 _ **If you're ever in trouble;**_

 _ **I'll be there on the double**_

 _ **Just send for me, oh baby, ha**_

 _ **My love is alive**_

 _ **Way down in my heart**_

 _ **Although we are miles apart**_

 _ **If you ever need a helping hand,**_

 _ **I'll be there on the double**_

 _ **Just as fast as I can**_

 _ **Don't you know that there**_

 _ **Ain't no mountain high enough,**_

 _ **Ain't no valley low enough,**_

 _ **Ain't no river wide enough**_

 _ **To keep me from getting to you babe**_

 _ **Don'tcha know that there**_

 _ **Ain't no mountain high enough,**_

 _ **Ain't no valley low enough,**_

 _ **Ain't no river wide enough**_

 _ **Ain't mountain high enough**_

 _ **Ain't no valley low enough"**_

The song ended and I smiled at Marcel, who had lowered his microphone and was grinning at me. He strode over to me and embraced me in a kiss, and the crowd cheered. I smiled against his lips before pulling away and beaming at my gorgeous boyfriend. I had meant every word of the song, and I was sure he had too.

"We make a great team." Marcel told me as we stepped down from the stage, and I chuckled. We walked down to the bar, where our friends were cheering at us. I instantly grabbed the glass of Bourbon from the counter.

"Of course we do." My heart was still racing from the performance, and I swallowed the drink in a swig.

"Already drinking, Julie? It's only 12 am." Thierry laughed and I punched him in the shoulder.

"Comes from the guy with a glass of whiskey in his hand." I raised my brows at him in a challenge, and he winked.

"Yes, but I'm quite a bit older than you, baby vampire." Marcel scolded Thierry after that last part, since the bar was filled with people.

"Sorry, boss." Thierry held up his hands in surrender, and I smiled as Marcel's arm went around my waist and I leaned into his warm body.

I knew something was wrong even before he tensed up next to me. I followed Marcel's eyes and my heart stopped when I saw who he was looking at. _Shit shit shit shit._ It was the handsome guy from the dream I had had three years earlier. The one who had slaughtered the vampires at the Abattoir. I felt my blood run cold as Marcel pulled free from me and started walking toward the man slowly.

"Klaus." Marcel said, and I gulped. I hadn't told him about the vision. I was starting to regret that decision now.

"Marcel." Klaus's voice was cold and threatening, but my feet were frozen to the ground. There was something about that man… Besides the fact that he had a weird smell to him, that is. He didn't smell like a normal vampire, yet it was definitely there. At the same time, he smelled oddly like a werewolf. Huh, maybe I was just too young a vampire to make out people's scents.

"Must have been 100 years since that nasty business with your papa." Marcel said, not an ounce of warmth in his voice. I knew that voice. It was the voice he only used with his enemies.

"Has it been that long?" Klaus raised his brows and threw his arms up as a demonstration. Despite my usual daring, I felt my heart tighten with fear. I did NOT like the way this man was talking to my Marcel.

"The way I recall it, he ran you out of town and left a trail of dead vampires on his way."

"Yet you managed to survive." The phrase could've been a joke, but nothing in Klaus's voice radiated humor. He was dead serious. "My father, I'm afraid, I recently incinerated to dust." Klaus stepped forward towards Marcel, and that was the last drop. Not only did I instinctively step up next to my boyfriend, but the other vampires in the bar stood up and backed us up.

"And who might this beautiful one be?" Klaus's attention moved over to me and he flashed me a grin. Marcel protectively put his arm around me, and I fought the urge to brush it off. I could handle myself.

"This is Juliette." Marcel said, and I rolled my eyes slightly. This was starting to feel like some territorial crap. I mean, I had the capability to introduce myself. Klaus didn't release my gaze as he stepped toward me and took my hand. I wanted nothing more than to pull it away from his grasp, and I felt Marcel's anger radiate. But he didn't do anything, and neither did I.

"It's an honor to meet you, love." Klaus's heavy british accent echoed in my ears as he brought my hand to his mouth. He pressed a soft kiss to the surface of my hand and an electric shock went through me.

I saw myself standing with Klaus at the Abattoir, and we seemed to be… Dancing. He was smiling at me with love in his eyes, nothing like the ruthless coldness that I had just seen. But the worst part was that I was smiling at him too.

In the present time, I pulled my hand from Klaus's grasp and took a step back. I watched his expression go from controlled emotionless to a look of pure surprise. He had felt it too. But the crack in his mask quickly straightened itself, and the cold, calculating gaze returned.

"If I'd have known that you would come…" Marcel muttered, breaking the awkward silence. Klaus's eyes turned into a glare as he strode up to my boyfriend. I stepped between them and glared at the light-haired man. I crossed my arms and stood my ground, staring him down. Finally, the man backed away.

"What, Marcel? What would you have done?" Even though Klaus was speaking to Marcel, his eyes were set on me. It made my stomach turn nervously, but I didn't budge. However, Marcel did. He stepped out from behind me and squeezed my hand before walking up to Klaus.

"I'd have thrown you a damn parade." I couldn't see Marcel's face, but his voice had changed drastically. It wasn't cold anymore, but filled with laughter and warmth. Surprisingly, Klaus beamed and threw himself at Marcel, who engulfed him in a big hug as they both laughed. _What the hell?_

"Did I miss something?" I asked Thierry quietly, but he looked just as lost as me.

"I have no idea what's going on." He replied with a shake of his head. I frowned at the two hugging men before me incredulously. They were _friends?_

"Niklaus Mikaelson!" Marcel exclaimed joyfully, and I raised my brows even higher. By then, my forehead was practically cramping from all the frowning. I did not like this. Not a single bit. My actual, present boyfriend was embracing my possible future boyfriend (wtf, brain?!) and I was completely clueless. "My mentor, my savior, my sire. Let's get you a drink."

"Ooohhhh." I let out a sigh as the puzzle piece fell into place. Klaus was Marcel's maker.

* * *

"What do you mean I can't come with you?!" I threw my hands into the air angrily while glaring at Marcel. Klaus had gone into a private room at the bar, waiting for him. Marcel put his hand on my arm to soothe me, but it had the opposite effect.

"This is between me and Klaus."

"Between you and Klaus? What about me, then?" I brushed away his hand. "So, your long lost maker comes to visit, basically threatening you, and I'm to trust that he won't hurt you? I have a right to know, Marcel." My boyfriend stared back at me with an apology in his eyes. I felt my heightened emotions clench my heart and tried my best to swallow my anger.

"You don't want to get meddled in this business." I could see his patience wearing thin, but I didn't care. He was being an asshole.

"Shouldn't I have the right to decide that?" I raised my brows at him.

"Just trust me." Marcel told me, not releasing my gaze. My glare deepened.

"Like hell I will." With that said, he sighed and walked into the room, leaving Diego and Thierry with me.

"Can you believe him?" I asked Thierry with a roll of my eyes. "Do you really trust him in there alone?" I asked the two of them, but they looked oddly guilty.

"Sorry, Julie." Thierry shrugged apologetically before brushing past me and following Marcel into the room.

"Wait what–" I started, but they were already gone. "What the hell?!" I exclaimed after them as the door shut.

"Stupid men." I muttered under my breath as I stomped down the stairs to the bar. I suddenly had a very big urge of killing someone. Luckily, I wasn't that kind of vampire. I had at least an ounce of compassion, and therefore didn't kill my victims.

* * *

"Well, a good and helpful friend would probably tell you to forgive Marcel. But I'm not that kind of friend, so I'm going to be honest." Roxy cocked her head to the side, her for the moment pink hair hanging into her eyes. "What he did was a dickmove."

"Thank you." I swallowed the last bite of my burrito and sighed at the heavenly taste. We were walking down Bourbon street, and it had already gone dark outside. Of course, since Roxy was out.

"But that's typical behavior for many men. Especially vampires." She explained, licking on her Ice-cream. Ice-cream at eight pm, you might think? Of course. There's always a right time for ice-cream. I raised my brows at my friend, silently telling her to go on.

"You know, that territorial crap. He probably needed to show Klaus that you're _his,_ to begin with. Then, he was probably protecting you by not letting you near that psycho." She said, matter-of-factly.

"Okay firstly, I don't belong to anyone. Secondly, he let Thierry and Diego go with him! As if I'm not as capable as them to defend myself." I crossed my arms with a pout.

"Yes, but Marcel's not in love with Diego and Thierry, is he?" Roxy gave me a meaning look and wiggled her eyebrows. I let out a laugh before replying.

"Jeez, I certainly hope not. That would make a twisted love… quad." I winked at Roxy and she broke out into a laugh. After laughing together for a bit, she spoke again.

"You working tonight?" She asked me genuinely, no sarcasm this time. I sighed.

"No, Cami gave me the night off. Don't know why really, but I think I'm just going to sulk in my room until Marcel gets home and I can yell at him some more." I replied tiredly, and Roxy stepped up in front of me.

"I know Marcel can be overprotective, but I feel it's my responsibility to make you understand that he really does love you." She held my gaze seriously, and I felt my heart starting to give in. "And I know you love him too."

"Of course I do. But when is he going to realize that I'm not a helpless little girl?" I complained, stomping my foot against the ground. Okay, I was actually _acting_ like a little girl.

"Probably never. But admit it; If you were older and stronger than him, you would have done the same."

"No, I wouldn't." I answered matter-of-factly, but I think that both Roxy and I realized that I was lying.

"Wanna go for a hunt?" My friend cocked her eyebrows at me, and I flashed her a grin. I hadn't fed in two days, and I was starving.

* * *

I was staring at the ceiling above when Marcel entered our room. With him came the sound of people laughing and loud thumping music. He walked over to the bed as I avoided his gaze, looking out the window at the street instead. A whole other pleasant sound came from outside. I had forgotten that there was a parade that night. Maybe I should've gone to that instead of being grumpy. But hey, I felt like being grumpy.

"Don't you wanna come down?" His soft voice made me turn and look at him. The earlier coldness and discarding look in his eyes was erased. He looked like my Marcel.

"A party? Really?" I chuckled sarcastically, motioning to the door with a nod of my head. Marcel sat down on the bed next to me, smiling at me warmly.

"We have to celebrate Klaus's return." He replied, and I looked away. Sure, Roxy had persuaded me to be lenient with my boyfriend's reasons for hiding things from me, but I was still pissed. I didn't take well to being neglected.

"You're still angry." Marcel stated, grabbing my hand. I still wouldn't look at him.

"Can you blame me? This strange guy comes back to town after what, a 100 years, for some unknown reason? He seems like a complete psychopath, nearly threatens you, and then you brush me off as if I'm nothing while you let Thierry and Diego hear what Klaus has to say." I turn my glare to him, and watch his eyes switch to resignation.

"You want an explanation?"

"Yes, I'd appreciate that."

"You're right. Niklaus Mikaelson is a psychopath. He can't be trusted." Marcel started. "But he's also highly intelligent, calculating and power-hungry. Which is exactly why he can never know what you are." Recognition dawned on me as my boyfriend looked at me intently.

"You're afraid he'll find out about my powers and use me."

"Or worse." I stopped in mid-action and frowned at Marcel before answering.

"I know you did it to protect me, but it's _my_ decision."

"No, it isn't."

"It is."

"No, it really isn't."

"It is."

"Listen, we can go on like this all night, but I think we both have better things to do." Marcel resigned and I sighed frustratingly.

"Yeah, we do." I retorted sarcastically and got up from the bed. I strode towards the door, but Marcel vamp-sped and grabbed my arm.

"Juliette, wait. I hate fighting with you." He stated, turning me around so that I faced him. I wanted to kiss him so bad, but at the same time, my blood was burning with rage. But then his arms circled around me, and I melted into his embrace. His very presence calmed me, and I sighed. There was a smell to him that bothered me. It stuck in my nose and awoke a beast in me. He smelled like blood, but it wasn't human blood. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It wasn't werewolf blood either; they smelled like wet dogs.

"You killed a witch tonight." I stated, pulling away from Marcel. His expression closed into a mask, and I took a step back. The anger started fuming in me again.

"Jane-Anne Deveraux was doing magic." Marcel explained, as if it was nothing. My heart dropped. She had worked at the bar, with Cami and her younger sister, Sophie. I had known her, and she wouldn't hurt a soul.

"You mean you had to kill her to prove your powers? To threaten Klaus?" I exclaimed furiously, throwing up my arms in the air.

"She broke the rules."

"You know what? I'm sick of this powerplay of yours. This is not you. You don't kill for fun." I growled, shaking my head slowly. I saw my boyfriend recoil as if I had struck him, but my heart was stone.

"Come and get me when you've matured. I'll be at Davina's." I gave him a sarcastic smile before vamp-speeding out of the window, straight toward the church.


	8. Chapter 8: Deep End

"Aunt Juliette!" Davina exclaimed when I entered the attic. She jumped away from her painting and beamed at me.

"Okay, you seriously have to stop calling me that. You make me sound like an old lady." I defended myself, but grinned at her. The brunette ran over to me and engulfed me in a big hug. I put my arms around her with a small chuckle and stroked her hair.

"Well, you _are_ dating my adoptive father." Davina raised her perfect eyebrows at me, humor in her blue eyes. "Would you prefer if I called you mom?" She laughed, and I hit her on the arm playfully.

"I would NOT. Jeez, I'm only three years older than you." I retorted with a wink.

"Something's wrong. I can sense it from you." The humorous gleam in Davina's eyes had disappeared and was replaced with wisdom and worry.

"And yet I'm the psychic one." I rolled my eyes, but settled down on the soft bed in the corner of the room. I put my hands on my face and sighed. "Marcel is being a dick." My voice was muffled by my hands as I threw myself down on my back.

"What did he do?" Davina sat down next to me on the bed and looked at me with big blue eyes. I found myself wondering how she could have grown up so fast. When Marcel and I had found her, she'd been a wreck. She'd been young and afraid, confused about what the witches had taught her.

"Niklaus Mikaelson is back in town. Marcel had a private talk with him today, and I wasn't invited." I explained, muttering. "Except it wasn't _really_ private, because Diego and Thierry were allowed to come with him."

"There's something else you're not telling me." Davina was scrutinizing me with her eyes, and I was having an inner battle. I always told her everything but… Could I really tell her this?

"You have to _promise_ me not to tell this to anyone." I held her gaze and she nodded. I sighed as a preparation for what I was about to say. "When I touched Klaus I… I felt something. Like a spark of electricity. And then I had a vision." I stopped myself, remembering the warmth I had felt in my heart at the memory.

Davina was looking at me silently, with calculating eyes. She always did that, which was surprising for someone of her age. With her mere 17 years, her wisdom was fascinating. Although I guess being a part of a twisted Harvest ritual did that to you.

"I saw me and Klaus dancing, and we seemed to be quite intimate." I continued, once again putting my face in my hands.

"That's not a good sign." The witch answered slowly.

"I know. I'm so sick of these visions. Even after three years, they haven't gotten less frequent. And I certainly can't control them any better. I became a vampire in the hope that they would disappear, but instead they've gotten stronger." I complained. "I'm such a failure."

A warm hand touched my shoulder, and I looked up to meet Davina's blue eyes. She held my gaze carefully while she spoke.

"You're not a failure. None of this is your fault." She said with a sad smile. "But you should probably not tell Marcel. I know you guys don't really keep secrets, but nothing good can come out of telling him."

I smiled back at my friend sadly and shook my head, my blonde bob cut hair bouncing into my eyes.

"I agree with you. But how am I supposed to stay away from Klaus? I mean, I've met the guy once and I already hate him. If I keep hating him, there's no way I'll fall in love with him, right?" I asked her, but Davina only shrugged. How would she know?

* * *

After telling Davina everything about Marcel and Jane-Anne Deveraux and everything that was going through my mind, I went for a stroll. I liked walking through the large streets of the french quarter at night. It made me feel as if I was still alive, like my first day in this city. I liked the way there was always music playing, the parades with disguised locals, and the painters who sped-painted tourists. I was tapping my shoes lightly to the rythm of the music when I saw a familiar head in the crowd. Cami was walking along the people, so I ran up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Juliette, hey!" She answered with a wide smile. Then her face was struck with recognition, and she frowned at me. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Yes, but you gave me the night off, remember?" I reminded her, but I felt my heart starting to beat rapidly in my chest. Had I mixed it up? But then Cami's face spread into a smile.

"Oh yeah, that's right."

"Jane-Anne died today." I told my boss, and her green eyes widened. "She was found in an alley. Her throat was slit."

"Oh my God." She breathed with a shocked face. "Is Sophie okay?"

"I don't know, and that's why I told you. I was hoping you might be on your way to the bar. I'm sure Sophie is grieving, and since you know her better than I do, you might be able to comfort her." I explained, and Cami nodded silently.

"Of course. I'll go there now." She said, turning around from me. "Thanks for telling me."

"See you tomorrow!" I shouted after her, but she was soon gone. After watching her blonde head disappear into the crowd, I walked towards the nearest painter. He was painting a large sinister face, with all sorts of colors such as copper, white, black and crimson. It was absolutely beautiful.

I felt his smell before I had the chance to vamp-speed away. My pulse quickened and my fleeing instincts kicked in, but I knew that there was nothing I could do.

"Hello, love." Klaus Mikaelson said, and I could hear the grin in his voice.

"Aren't you at Marcel's little party?" I asked him bitterly, not meeting his eyes. The vampire let out a small chuckle.

"Having a spat with your lover?" He challenged. _Lover? Who even says that anymore?_ Apparently I had put a bit too much emphasis on my boyfriend's name.I turned to him and gave him a sarcastic smile.

"That's none of your business, actually." Klaus's grin didn't fade, but he looked over at the painting before us.

"What do you think that the painting is about?" He asked me, changing the topic. I turned my gaze to the face, and felt my heart calm a little.

"I think that the painter is tired of his life. Tired of being someone he really doesn't want to be." I started, watching the old man load on more color on his brush and making large, confident stripes on the painting. "He's tired of being contained by a role that someone else has made up for him."

I felt Klaus's gaze on me as I spoke. It was intimidating, but I didn't know in which way. I didn't feel particularly threatened by his presence, really. I knew that he was dangerous and I had seen him kill (in the future, but whatever), yet that wasn't what scared me. What scared me was the way his blue eyes made my pulse quicken.

"He wants to be himself, but he knows that he can't. Because if he would show people his true self, nobody would love him." The impact of my own words struck me to the core. It felt as if every streak of paint that the painter made reflected my soul, and it felt relieving to get these feelings out. Even if it was to an ancient, psychopathic vampire. Speaking of him, I turned my eyes to the beautiful man. He was looking at the painting with a distant gaze, but I noticed his lower lip trembling. Apparently, my words had struck a nerve.

"What do you think, then?" I asked him, mentally kicking myself. _Stupid, stupid, stupid._ I was supposed to _stay away_ from this man, not ask him intimate questions about paintings.

Klaus regained his composed mask and looked back at me with a small smile.

"Oh, I think you summed it up perfectly, love." He chuckled, showing off dimples. The word _love_ rolled off his tongue beautifully, as if he was born to say it.

"Listen up." I turned to him entirely, this time, scolding him with my glare. "I want you to stay away from Marcel. He's _my_ problem to deal with, not yours." Klaus raised his brows at me, offended and surprised by my accusation.

"That's not up to you to decide, love." He gave me a meaning look, and I wanted to smack that mocking grin off his face. "I'm intrigued by you, Juliette. There's something special about you. I'm determined to find out what." His words sent a cold chill down my spine, but I barely managed to retort before he was gone.

* * *

I slept in the guestroom that night.

* * *

A woman was walking along a cold street. I couldn't make out where or when, but it seemed to be in present time. She looked behind her shoulder now and then, making sure she wasn't followed. Her heels made clattering sounds against the pavement in the dark alley. The pouring rain bounced against her raincoat, but she didn't seem to mind. She hurried down the street in the same stressed manner, being cautious at every turn. She seemed to be afraid of getting followed, which made me wonder who she really was. Soon, she arrived to a black door. She rang the doorbell, not minding the flicker of the streetlights and the shadows in the dark alley.

"Rachel?" The door opened slightly, and a voice whispered out from the crack.

"Yes, you divvy. Who else would it be?" The woman replied, sarcasm in her british voice. The door closed in her face, but was then opened widely. Rachel stepped in, and the other woman shut the door behind her.

As soon as they were both in the hallway, Rachel removed her coat. Her long, light pink hair was tied into a messy bun on the top of her head, and I realized how tall she was. The other woman watched her silently, seriousness in her eyes. Her own strawberry blonde hair was cut into a bob cut, much like mine, and it faded to a darker shade at the tips. This one was shorter, but on the other hand, she wasn't wearing heels.

"I had to be sure it was you. They've been watching us more closely recently." She told Rachel grimly, walking through the dark hall into the kitchen. The apartment was small, and the walls were falling apart, but it was surprisingly tidy.

"They've found us?" Rachel's voice was muffled by the sound of a screeching radio. The second woman walked over to it and shut it off, before turning around. She walked up to Rachel and pulled her into a hug.

"Yes. I've been worried about you." I realized that I had mistaken the strawberry blonde's accent as british, when it was in fact Australian.

"You shouldn't worry so much about me, Sofia." Rachel mumbled before pulling away. "Besides, I've found out some quite valuable information."

Sofia motioned to the wobbly table in the kitchen, and fetched two bloodbags from the fridge. They were vampires, of course. Everyone seems to be a vampire nowadays.

"You know my friend from New Orleans, Katie?" Rachel started explaining while Sofia poured the blood into two glasses. Huh, fancy vampires.

"The witch?" Sofia raised her brows. "I wouldn't call her a friend, exactly. You're just using her for spells."

"Ha-ha. Let me get to the point." Rachel glared at her friend before continuing. "Her boyfriend is a vampire, and he has mentioned something that could save both of our lives."

"And what is that?" Sofia asked, curiousness glowing in her blue eyes.

"His king, Marcel Gerard, has a powerful ally. A psychic vampire, called Juliette Walters. Apparently, she can see the future and the past." Rachel at last finished, a small smile on her face. Sofia's lips broke into a wide beam.

"She could be a very powerful weapon."

"Indeed, she could."

* * *

"Don't get me wrong. I'm still pissed at you." I warned Marcel the following day. He sighed and scratched his head. "But, I had a very worrying vision last night." I continued, and his expression softened.

"What?" He asked, his eyes suddenly concerned.

"I saw two vampires. I have no idea where they were, but I know that one of them was British, and the other was Australian." I started explaining. Marcel paced around our bed, and his itchy behavior made want to punch him.

"They were talking about me. They knew about my power. And the worst part; they were speaking of using me as a weapon." I didn't mention the part where Thierry was concerned. Marcel still didn't know about Thierry and Katie, and I was very set on dealing with that issue myself. Thierry was soon about to get a real beating from me.

"How could they possibly know? Davina had done spells to conceal you from the witches. They shouldn't be able to sense your power." Marcel pondered, watching me intently with his pretty, brown eyes.

"I don't know." I stopped and frowned at him. "Do you think this could have anything to do with Klaus's return?"

"No." Marcel shook his head. "He doesn't know about you. Otherwise he would've already kidnapped you and compelled you to do his bidding." This time he stopped, and something changed in his eyes.

"This is why I'm trying so hard to protect you, Juliette. I don't think that you're weak. I never could. But no one can defeat Klaus. The reason why I'm trying to protect you is because I know him, and I can persuade him to give up on you." He walked up to me and took my hand. I didn't pull it away this time.

"I understand that." I told him. He gave me his famous puppy eyes, and I felt my heart melt. "Alright, I'll forgive you. But only if you promise to at least tell me what's going on with Klaus after your secret meetings." I argued. Marcel broke into a grin and pecked me on the lips.

"Done." A pause. "I won't give you bodyguards because of the vision you just had, since I am not ready to fight with you again." He added, and I chuckled. He knew me after all. "But, I want you to be careful, okay?"

"I will. Besides, there's no way to know when this meeting between the two vampires occurred. It might happen in three years, or twenty." I comforted both him and myself, shaking off the creepy feeling that was still left from the vision.

"You're right. See you later for lunch?" Marcel asked me, and I squeezed his hand.

"Sure. I love you." I kissed him on the mouth and savored the taste of his lips. Even though it hadn't even been 24 hours since our fight, I had missed him. He smiled against my lips and I laughed when a realization hit me. I was wearing red lipstick. I broke free from Marcel and managed not to laugh at the sight.

"I love you more." He said, unaware of the fact that he looked somewhat like a crossbreed of a clown and a drag-queen. I decided not to tell him as I left the room, laughing inwardly at the picture of Thierry or Diego mocking him. Oh right, Thierry. I had to find that asshole and give him a real scolding.


	9. Chapter 9: Save Me

Want to know something funny? When I had spoken to Marcel earlier, he had failed to mention that Klaus had bitten Thierry at the party the night before. It beats me why, but what I was mostly focused on now was to find that hybrid son of a– You get what I mean. I was angry with Thierry, sure, but that didn't mean that Klaus was allowed to hurt him. Oh God, I was pissed with everyone. Don't judge me. We all have our bad moments in life. I just happened to have a lot of them.

"I'm going to find that bastard and–" I growled through my teeth, but a hand stopped me. I looked up to find Marcel looking at me.

"No, you're not." He said slowly. "He healed Thierry. It's okay now."

"What do you mean, 'it's okay'? So Klaus has the freedom to go around and bite us now?" I argued, crossing my arms. "That's like apologizing before hitting someone. Stupid." I held his gaze, but Marcel shrugged.

"So what are you going to do then? What can you do to stop Klaus?" Marcel replied as we walked down the stairs of the compound. There were red cups spread across the room, and the evidence that there had been a party there the night before was very clear.

"I can– I can– I don't know." I sighed, giving up. Marcel was right. I was being irrational. I could always deal with Klaus later. "So you're saying that Thierry is alright?"

"He's healthy as a horse." Marcel smiled, taking my hand in his. "Now, what about that lunch we were speaking of?"

"I have something to do, but maybe in two hours or so?" I rubbed my neck with my free hand and gave him an apologetic smile.

"Yeah, sure."

* * *

"Do you have something to tell me?" I asked Thierry casually about one hour later, as soon as I had figured out where that lying fox was hiding. He looked back at me, swallowing his burger slowly.

"No?" He said, but I saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes. I passive-aggressively spun my knife on the table, an easy-going smile spread across my face. "Why?" He gulped, his adam's apple bouncing.

"Oh it's just… Well, I'm sure you have nothing to do with it." I chuckled, still avoiding his gaze and playing with my knife. My burger was long gone, but I didn't have the energy to order another one.

"Nothing to do with what?" It humored me how Thierry's voice was getting guiltier by the second, and I smiled at the fear seeping into his voice.

"I've heard some rumours about the witches in the french quarter knowing about my special power." I finally looked up at him, and stopped playing with my knife abruptly.

"Come on, give me a break. I nearly died yesterday." Thierry put on a hurt face, but my face was hard as stone. "Guess not."

"This could cost me my life, Thierry." I told him. "I haven't told anyone about Katie. I expect you not to tell anyone about my secret either." Thierry looked away guiltily, and I sighed.

"She's my girlfriend. I'm sorry, I let it slip out. It was a mistake." He apologized.

"Well, your mistake could lead to my death. Do you know what people are ready to do for my powers?" My voice wasn't calm anymore. It was filled with rage and a twinge of panic. "I could get captured and enslaved and…" I stopped talking, shuddering at the thought.

"Calm down. It's just Katie." Thierry tried to comfort me, but I glared at him instead.

"No. Your precious little witch has spilled to others." I shot back at him. "I had a vision." I stood up abruptly, walking up close to him. I lowered my head to watch him dead in the eye and bared my fangs. "Next time you feel like spilling out about my secrets, think twice." Thierry didn't move, but I saw his eyes harden with anger. After a few intense seconds, I backed away and felt the warmth from the veins under my eyes disappear.

* * *

"So, in short, you have to newbie vampires spending their time in a warehouse on the outskirts of town?" I asked Marcel, my mouth full of omelette. He flashed me a smile while picking up a fry with his hand.

"Well, technically, just one. The other one wasn't worth saving." He shrugged, and I put down my fork.

"I'm not some kind of hero, Marcel, but I still don't approve of you killing people." I said, looking down at my plate. I had been battling these thoughts about Marcel for quite a while now.

"We're vampires, baby. Killing is what we do." His brown eyes watched mine with humor.

"We both know that is a fat lie." I scoffed. "We don't have to kill to feed."

"Yes, but the hunt is in our nature. You can't tell me you don't feel it in your bones." The humor was gone now, replaced by seriousness. His eyes were soft, yet my heart turned to stone.

"I–" I looked out the window, at loss for words. I was met with a familiar sight that made the blood in my veins freeze. "It's them." I breathed. Across the street, the two vampires from my vision were walking. Rachel, the pink haired one, was wearing heels that made her even taller. They were both dressed up very elegantly, and they suddenly felt even more threatening. Suddenly, Sofia turned her head straight towards me and our eyes met. I instantly grabbed Marcel's hand.

"Julie, what is it?" He asked me urgently, squeezing my hand and following my gaze.

"It's the two vampires from my vision, Marcel. They've found me." I looked away from them, not wanting them to realize who I was. They might have heard about me, but they probably didn't know what I looked like. I saw the recognition in Marcel's face as he saw them.

"Okay, we need to get you out of here." He said, but I sensed that he wasn't even nearly as worried as I was. However, I nodded and followed him as he stood up. We walked out from the back of the restaurant (of course Marcel knew the owner), and I looked behind my back every two seconds. I knew that I shouldn't be so afraid of these two women. Not when the original hybrid was in town, whom should be the real threat. But something in their eyes had been so desperate; I had a feeling that they'd do anything to get away from those people who were chasing them.

* * *

"Where are we?" I asked Marcel dumbfoundedly as we arrived before a large factory of some sort. He Walked toward the door without answering, but I followed him in anyway. The big metal door creaked as Marcel opened it, almost as if a wall cracked inside of the building. I followed him down a set of frail stairs, and it amazed me how they didn't break under his weight. When I walked down the staircase myself, my heart beat like a drum.

"Okay, here's the thing." Marcel started as soon as we got down the stairs. I looked around me and seemed to be in a large storage room. The brick walls were lined with shelves, and the only light coming into the space was from a tiny little window on the right wall. "I need your help with something." He added, his eyes filled with a plea.

"Where are we?" I asked him, feeling the insecurity seeping into my heart. Two months ago, I wouldn't have questioned him and helped him at once. But lately he had been doing his own thing and keeping secrets from me.

"I don't want anyone to hear us." Marcel explained as he put his hands on my shoulders comfortingly. The set of familiar brown eyes watched me intently, and warmth returned to my heart. "Klaus is upstairs, taking care of my new vampire. He can't hear us down here." The warmth went away and I sighed. Klaus, Klaus, Klaus… It was as if Marcel was in love with him or something. That would be very unsettling.

"Alright then, what's this favor you want to ask of me?" I asked my boyfriend, letting my annoyance show in my voice by shaking my head.

"I want you to predict his future and report back to me."

"What?! ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" I growled, recoiling from him. God, he was confusing.

"My vampires have told me some unsettling business about him. I think that he's planning something behind my back." Marcel explained, and I let out a sarcastic chuckle.

"So one second you tell me to stay away from him, and the other you want me to spy on him?" I raised my brows at him with disbelief. I saw the annoyance in his face too. The tired creases on his forehead and the coldness in his eyes.

"I need to know what he's up to."

"Well, you're gonna have to find another psychic then. You know as well as I that I can't decide when I have a vision." I muttered, pacing around in the room restlessly. The room was starting to feel confining, and I didn't like the way Marcel wanted to use me against Klaus. My boyfriend let out a sigh and dragged a hand across his close-shaved hair.

"Just tell me if you have a vision about him, will you?" He asked me sincerely now, and I stopped pacing, along with my heart. Now was probably the time to tell him about the vision I had had three years before. But I was particularly angry with him in that second, so I decided not to.

And that second vision of Klaus and I dancing? That would not be a good idea. Besides, that wouldn't help either Marcel or me. It was solely between me and Klaus.

"Sure."

"Great. Now, I want you to help Klaus with the newbie while I seek out those two women from your vision."

"You WHAT? They could be dangerous, Marcel. Secondly, you want me to stay here with Klaus? What if I have a vision?" I argued restlessly.

"If you have one, just turn away. You usually only space out for a few seconds." Marcel explained simply. "I want you to help with the newbie since I think he might need someone like you to comfort him." I breathed out slowly before nodding.

"Alright, I'll do it. But you owe me." I pointed my finger at him and held his gaze while he nodded.

* * *

"Juliette! What a pleasure." I hadn't even been in the room for two seconds before Klaus turned his smirk to me. I rolled my eyes and walked up to him while looking at the boy in front of him.

"Who is she?" The man asked with confusement. He seemed to be as old as I, possibly a bit younger. Well, he seemed to be my age when I was turned. 18. His brown eyes were filled with anger, fear and disgust. Apparently, he had been there when Marcel had gotten rid of his little friend.

" _She_ is right here, and my name is Juliette." I cocked my head to the side and made a quick decision. I wanted to know more about this potential newbie vampire before Marcel took him into his army. So, for the first time, I chose to deliberately have a vision. I had no idea if it would work. It would always happen when I least wanted it. But, with a confident and welcoming smile, I reached out my hand to him. I figured that since I had my back to Klaus, he wouldn't notice anything strange.

"I'm Josh…" The guy said slowly, very skeptically while shaking my hand. It hadn't worked. I shouldn't even have been surprised. This power had never done me any good.

"Josh here, has agreed to help me with something." Klaus smiled, his devilish dimples showing. I turned around to really face him and noticed that his brown hair looked slightly ruffled, and I ignored the heat flowing to my cheeks. _Psycho, psycho, psycho. Dangerously hot psycho. Stop it, Juliette!_

"And what is that?" I crossed my arms, raising my eyebrows suspiciously. I didn't like the way the hybrid was grinning at me. Klaus clicked his tongue as he helped Josh up from his sitting position on the floor. Now that I thought about it, something seemed wrong with the newbie vampire. For once, he wasn't even struggling against Klaus, who had certainly turned him into a vampire.

"Josh is going to do my bidding for a while now, not Marcel's." I stopped in my nervous pacing, widening my eyes. Klaus was now casually picking his nails while looking at me with a challenging gaze. Watching my every move, like a predator. I had to think my actions through.

"Why exactly are you telling me this? Marcel is my boyfriend. My loyalty is with him." I answered calmly, not looking away from Klaus. I wouldn't back away from him. If I showed myself weak in front of him, who knows what would happen?

"Because you're not going to tell him." Klaus's finger pointed at me while his smile didn't fade. I was starting to think his face might fall apart from all the smiling. "You see, I know some things about Marcel that you might want to know, love." The mocking in his voice had disappeared, and he seemed more sincere. His words instilled a fear in my veins I hadn't felt in a while. What did he know about Marcel? Could I trust him that he would be telling the truth. And, what was in it for him?

"Tell me more."

"For one, your dear lover–" I was about to laugh at his ancient language when I remembered that he literally was a thousand years old. "-is right now standing outside this building, talking with my little sister, Rebekah. Did you know that the two of them have a little romantic history?" In any other situation, Klaus's accent would've sounded sexy, but right now I was not thinking about that. Rebekah? Who the hell was she? And why was Marcel speaking to her? When he was supposed to find my potential attackers?

"I assume you haven't." Klaus nodded, starting to walk around me. Oh, how he was enjoying this. His pleased smile was making my blood boil. "Now, I could tell you more, or I could let you go and kill Josh." So this was the manipulating monster that Marcel had warned me about. I hadn't believed him entirely when he had told me how smart this man was, but now I knew. But, the jealousy burned in my bones and I wanted to know more. I wanted to know if Rebekah was a threat.

"Tell me more." I commanded Klaus. Meanwhile, Josh was looking at us dumbfoundedly, his face having a slight green tint to it.

"As you please." The hybrid chuckled and stayed right in front of me. A bit too close for my liking, actually. The smell of blood and seabreeze invaded my senses and woke up my heart. "Rebekah, my brother Elijah–" Klaus saw my confusion and explained himself "–whom you haven't had the pleasure to meet yet–" He continued reaching out towards my hair. "and I, raised Marcel together. During this time, Marcel fell desperately in love with Rebekah. When he had grown into a man, Rebekah found herself returning his feelings." Klaus was now twinning a lock of my blond hair between his fingers and his blue eyes were watching me intently. I felt sick in my stomach and pulled away from him.

"Stop!" I growled. "I don't want to know anything more. I get it. They were in love." I couldn't hear it anymore. My stomach was already twisting with jealousy. I got an idea. I concentrated on my vampire hearing, tearing my eyes away from Klaus's hypnotising ones.

"No use, love. They've left. Perhaps together." The original hybrid winked and I wanted to slap him right there. However, I was alone in a warehouse with him and a newbie vampire who was following his orders. I wondered why Josh was listening to Klaus when it hit me.

"You've compelled him, haven't you?" I asked, cocking my head towards Josh. Josh looked from me to Klaus with a confused expression. Klaus grinned back at me.

"Clever girl." He acknowledged, and I flashed him a charming smile. If this was the game he wanted to play, so be it.

"Then why haven't you compelled me already? You know that I don't have any vervain in my system." Klaus seemed to be buying my flirtatious tone, and leaned in towards me.

"Why, hasn't loverboy warned you about my special powers? Hasn't he made you drink vervain like he did his minions?" He whispered in my ear. I had to physically stop myself from shuddering. Klaus was standing so close, so close, I couldn't breathe. I felt attracted to him, that I couldn't deny. But I didn't want to. I wanted Klaus to be gone from my life. I wanted things to go back to the way they were before he came back to town.

"Wouldn't you like to know that?" I smirked, watching Klaus's jaw clench. He was trying to be patient, I could see that.

"I know Marcel better than anyone, love. I know that he cares about everyone. I know he has a sense of loyalty that's hard to find." Klaus pulled away and held my gaze. His blue eyes were electrifying. "Most of all, I know that the way to Marcel is through his heart." Oh no. Oh no, oh no. I was starting to regret my stubbornness of not taking the vervain. It hurt, okay? But I had a feeling I knew what Klaus was about to do.

"You're going to tell me every move Marcel makes. Who he meets, what he does and why he is struggling against my power. You will tell me everything." Klaus spoke slowly and carefully, adamant not to break eye-contact with me. I broke out in laughter. Big mistake. He had been trying to compel me! Oh, you should've seen the look on his face when he realized that it hadn't worked. It was priceless. The hybrid was now stepping away from me. Hey, at least he wasn't smiling anymore. Oh no, he looked like he was about to kill me. But try as I may, I couldn't stop laughing.

"I'm sorry." I wiped my tears, taking deep breath to stop my outbreaks of laughter. Klaus angrily grabbed my arm, and the inevitable happened. My vision disappeared and I saw flashes of pictures.

* * *

 _Klaus was walking among a crowd in a ballroom, and it seemed to be during the medieval times. The men were wearing tunics and black leather vests, all of them carrying a sheathed sword in their belts. Klaus's hair was shoulder-length, and he was as usual wearing a devilish smile on his face. The women along the sides of the ballroom were gaping at his beauty, smiling at him flatteringly so that he would notice them. All but one. I followed Klaus's eyes and saw a woman in the far back corner of the big ballroom. She was wearing the most beautiful dress of them all; a satin dark blue gown lined with gold. Her blonde hair was luscious and fell in waves on her back. She wasn't looking at the handsome man, but at the painting before her. She was making slow streaks of color, creating the most beautiful picture of a lake I had ever seen. Klaus seemed to notice it too. He walked up to stand next to the woman, who didn't even throw him a glance. He watched her paint silently, without uttering a word._

" _Are you going to stand there and watch me, or are you inquiring after something?" The woman asked him, and I recognized the voice. She cocked her head to the side to look at Klaus, and I saw who it was. It was Rachel, one of the two vampires from my dream/vision. Klaus laughed happily and looked back to the painting._

" _Just admiring your work, love." He explained, smiling at the lake before him. Rachel raised her eyebrows as she kept painting._

" _People usually don't notice my paintings." Her accent was very much like Klaus's, and I assumed that that this was in England. "I'm not a man, you know." A roll of her eyes. I liked her for her courage, even though she was kind of threatening my life._

" _They're wrong, love." Klaus shook his head, and I noticed something different about him. He didn't seem as cold as he was now, but at least a little bit more innocent. Maybe he hadn't yet had the time to become evil. "Are you interested in selling this? I can give you a very good price." Rachel turned her eyes and looked at him like she couldn't believe him. She opened her mouth, and then closed it again._

" _It's not for sale." She said curtly, and I was surprised by her lack of formality. I had thought that women in medieval times were more or less forced to act nice with every man they saw. Klaus noticed too, but it only seemed to humor him._

" _May I at least ask you for a dance?" He grinned at her, reaching out his hand. Rachel looked at him suspiciously, squinting her eyes._

" _I don't dance with men whom have not even introduced themselves to me first." She spoke, and a lady to her left scoffed at her while walking past. Rachel was young; she didn't seem much older than 20 years old. She was certainly expected to have taken a husband by this time. However, something told me that not many men were as intrigued by her manners as Klaus was._

" _Klaus Mikaelson. And what is your name, if you allow me to ask?" He took her hand and pressed it to his lips softly. Something changed in Rachel's posture; she seemed to relax more._

" _Rachel Vaughan, mylord." A smile spread across her rose lips._

" _Now, will you dance with me?"_

" _Yes, I will."_

* * *

I returned to present time with a gasp. _Shit shit shit._ I only had a few seconds to react, for Klaus was looking at me intently. I had to come up with something.

"I don't feel very well." I croaked out, before faking a faint. It was risky. I didn't know if he would catch me. Luckily for me, he did. I fell into Klaus's arms and felt my brain really give up as I was starting to lose my consciousness for real. Apparently, my head was burning up from all the information I was given all at once. The last thing I heard before everything went black was Klaus's worried voice.

"Juliette?"


	10. Chapter 10: Sometimes I Feel

_The air was humid and wet, and the people walking along the broad cobbled street were soaking wet. Frankly, they didn't look very happy. One woman especially stood out, I noted as an old man walked straight through me. I still wasn't used to the feeling. It felt almost as if someone dumped a bucket of ice on top of my head. On the other hand, the pouring rain had nearly the same effect._

 _The woman in particular was carrying a sack of flour, and was dressed in a simple skirt and a white blouse. I had already realized that I was still in the medieval time period, since only carriages frequented the street. The horses didn't seem to like the rain either, but they were bound to their carriages and the only thing they could do to protest was to restlessly stomp their hooves against the cobblestones._

 _A man stopped before the cursing woman, who I now recognized as Sofia. It certainly seemed like my mind was helping me with information on these two at least._

" _My my, you seem very strong for a woman." Klaus. Of course. He was looking at the woman carrying the sack of flour with a smirk. Sofia threw the last sack onto the carriage and stopped to cough loudly. She dried her mouth with her sleeve and tried to hide the red spot on the white blouse._

" _That's a little offensive, isn't it?" The strawberry blonde haired woman replied with a cock of her eyebrow. Klaus chuckled and looked down at his feet. Hmm, I was starting to sense a pattern here._

" _I'm very sorry if I offended you, miss." He looked up at her again with a sincere apologetic look. "London is a long way from home."_

" _I'm going back to Ireland tomorrow." Sofia answered while walking around the carriage to the horse. She gave the brown four-legged animal a carrot while petting its neck lovingly. She stopped when another coughing attack hit her, and she crouched down as she coughed up blood again. The plague! She had septimetic plague. Don't ask me how I know that. I guess that even though Mr Tanner had been a horrible teacher, I had been good at history. Which was also why I had assumed that it was the plague that Sofia had._

" _Are you unwell?" Klaus asked with worry in his voice, politely moving to put his hand on her back._

" _What does it look like?" She retorted, and I smiled. She had the same courage and independence that Rachel had. "You shouldn't touch me. I might be dead in a day or two, and I wouldn't want to infect you." She then added, but Klaus shook his head._

" _I'm immune, love." Why did my heart turn at hearing him uttering that word to someone else? Weird. "But, I can help you with your disease. I happen to have a cure."_

" _There is no cure." Sofia was looking at him gravelly now, as if she didn't believe him._

" _Not officially, no." Klaus replied, smirking at her. "But join me, and I promise you will become as healthy as your horse."_

" _What's your name?" The woman squinted at Klaus, scrunching up her nose in disbelief._

" _Klaus Mikaelson. Yours?"_

" _Sofia Thompson."_

* * *

I opened my eyes and sighed immediately. I felt Klaus's presence in the room before I saw him.

"Oh, you're awake. Fantastic." He slapped his hands on his legs and sat up from the armchair in the far corner of Marcel's and my bedroom. "You see, I've been thinking a tad while you've been napping, love."

My blood ran cold as I sat up and took in my environment. It was dark outside, so I must have been out for the whole afternoon. I wondered where Marcel was. I certainly hoped that he wasn't with Rebekah, because I would personally kill that– you get where I'm going. Actually, I'd kill the two of them. Not that I could, of course. But I could kill them mentally. The thought soothed me and I looked back at Klaus calmly.

"I haven't fed in a couple of days." I explained, my voice unwavering. Klaus looked at me suspiciously as I kept talking. "That's probably why I fainted."

"That could be it." Klaus shrugged, and I knew that he was up to something. I had seen the flash of anger in his eyes before I had my vision, and I didn't think that he was the kind of person to give up easily. "Or, you and Marcellus could be hiding something from me." He raised his eyebrows and gave me an innocent smile. I stood up from my bed and shook my head slowly while stepping out on the balcony. I needed some fresh air.

" _Marcellus_ and I aren't hiding anything from you." I lied smoothly, hearing the whoosh of Klaus vamp-speeding over to me. I personally didn't like the way of moving; I had never liked high speed and it made me dizzy. I looked over to the man next to me, watching the wind blow through his hair as he looked out over the street.

"I want to be honest with you, Klaus." I turned to him fully and caught his blue eyes with mine. "All I want is to live a happy life with Marcel. I did that until you came to town. I want to know; what's the real reason you're here?"

"I heard rumours about a witch plotting against me. Jane-Anne Deveraux. I came here to kill her, but your dear boyfriend did that for me. Unfortunately, before I had the time to question her." He explained simply, leaning against the railing of the balcony. I found myself noticing how calm the street below was for a summer night in the most tourist frequented quarter in New Orleans. No parades. No street painters, I thought, as I watched Klaus.

"And why are you still here?" The final question.

"I'm offended by your desperate need to get rid of me, love." He replied, faking a pout.

"The only things you've done since you came into my life are : One, nearly killed one of my closest friends, Thierry." I started, counting my fingers. "Two, done everything you can to plot against Marcel, one of those things actually compelling a guy to spy on him. Lastly, you've brought with you your sister."

"My sister is actually not my fault. She came here on her own." Klaus defended himself, seemingly amused by my accusations. It only made me despise him more. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, now she's my problem." I gave out a frustrated sigh and tried to think of anything else besides Marcel with a probably beautiful (judging by her older brother) powerful original vampire.

"I would tell you not to worry, love, but my sister can be difficult to deal with." He smiled. "A word of advice; don't get on her bad side."

"Well if she's in love with Marcel, I'm afraid I've already managed to do that pretty well." I shrugged tiredly.

* * *

When Marcel entered the compound, an hour had passed. I was reading in an armchair in the court, while Thierry was playing the piano behind me. Klaus had left after half an hour of trying to pry secrets out of me. I was convinced that he wasn't set on hurting me; if that had been the case, he certainly would've tortured me for information by now. Luckily for me, he seemed to enjoy my company.

I heard that something was wrong at the sound of Marcel's stumbling footsteps. Within a second I was at his side, supporting his weight.

"Oh God, you're hurt!" I exclaimed, while Thierry vamp-sped to Marcel's other side. My boyfriend's shirt was wet with blood, and he was struggling to walk. "What happened?!"

"Wooden… bullets…" Marcel breathed through shallow breaths, a prickle of sweat running down his brow. All business about Rebekah was completely gone for the moment. "Soaked in vervain." He groaned, as we helped him lay down on the red couch.

"I've got this, Thierry." I told my friend, who after a couple of seconds reluctantly nodded and disappeared. I then turned back to Marcel and ripped off his shirt.

"Oooh baby, give it to me." He joked through the pain and I involuntarily blushed before shaking my head with disbelief.

"Not the time to joke, Marcel." I answered, examining the bullet wounds. There was one right between his heart and his left shoulder, one dangerously close to his heart and the last one was situated on the right side of his stomach. "I'm gonna have to pull them out." I raised my brows at Marcel questioningly.

"Do it." He sighed, bracing himself for the pain to come. I took a deep breath before burying my index finger and my thumb in the wound next to his shoulder. Marcel yelled out in pain, but my fingers connected with a round shape and I pulled the bullet out. It bounced on the floor as Marcel relaxed and breathed quickly. I picked up the piece of cloth that was left from his shirt and patted his forehead with it softly.

"I'm sorry, baby." I apologized gently, before moving on to the next bullet.

* * *

When the bullets were all out, Marcel was panting with exhaustion, and a feeling of disgust was still in my stomach. It's not like I had a problem with blood (I was a vampire and all), but digging your fingers into someone's shoulder looking for a bullet is not very pleasant.

"What happened?" I asked Marcel as I settled down on the floor, resting my back against the couch.

"Those two vampires were not only a lot older than I thought, but they were also strangely prepared for an attack." He explained, tenderly running a hand through my hair. "They were armed with stakes, guns loaded with wooden bullets and vervain. Some of my guys were wounded too, but not as bad as I." Marcel's voice wasn't shaky anymore due to his vampire healing. I turned around on my knees and looked him in the eyes.

"Did they say anything?" I inquired while taking his hand. His brown eyes watched me intently as he replied.

"Nothing. They bailed as soon as they saw me, and when I called on my day-walkers to back me up and fight them… Well, they pretty much beat us up completely before running off."

"I had two visions about them with Klaus." I started, seeing Marcel's eyes widen in surprise. "Their names are Rachel Vaughan and Sofia Thompson. They both met Klaus somewhere between the 1200's and the 1500's. It was during the medieval times at least. Sofia was dying of the plague." I let out a sigh. "That's all I know."

"So that explains why they were so powerful. They're both at least 500 years old." Marcel replied, shaking his head softly. I took a deep breath before uttering the words that had been gnawing on my stomach ever since Klaus had been taunting me.

"What were you doing with Rebekah Mikaelson?" The room went quiet and Marcel's hand stopped stroking my head. The only thing that I could hear was the sound of my beating heart. That was, until a loud bang was heard and someone barged into the court. Stomping heels told me that the woman walking into the big room was _not_ very happy.

"Funny you should ask." A blonde walked right up to us as Marcel and I shot up from our seated positions. She stopped in front of me as I crossed my arms, cocking her head to the side. She then gave Marcel a sarcastic smile before opening her mouth again. "See you still got a thing for blondes." I growled and bared my fangs at her, taking a step forward. She would _not_ make me an object.

"Well, at least she got some audacity, threatening me." Blondie sneered back at me, and I tried to take another step toward her. However, Marcel's arm circled my waist protectively.

"I would not do that, if I were you." He whispered in my ear, and the woman rolled her eyes, her blonde curls bouncing. She chuckled, but within a second, her hand was around Marcel's throat, and his back was against the stone wall.

"Tell me where Elijah is." She barked furiously, and I sped up to her and Marcel.

"Let him go, Rebekah." I exclaimed with panic in my voice. I wanted to smash her head into a wall, but she was an original vampire. That much I had figured out. There was probably nothing I could do. She realized that too, and so didn't even glance at me.

"Say where he is or I will kill you!" Rebekah screamed and a twisted sort of relief settled in my stomach. Judging by her fury, at least I didn't have to worry about their history. _Get your shit together._ Right, Marcel. I should do something to protect him. But what could I do? Sure, I had a wicked psychic power that could be a dangerous weapon. But in this kind of situation? No, I was completely useless.

Silence settled between the two vampires, and something in the air changed. They were both looking at each other intently, and something twisted in my gut. Crap. Maybe they had some intense history.

"No, you won't." Marcel spoke quietly, looking straight at Rebekah without wavering. This was it; Either she would kill him, or she would let him go, which would in turn mean that she had feelings for him. My breath hitched when she let him go. Whether it was because of relief that Marcel was safe or despair that this gorgeous vampire had feelings for him… That I don't know.

"Perhaps you're right." She shook her head slowly, looking down at her feet. _OUCH!_ A searing pain hit me somewhere in my chest. I looked up to see Rebekah standing in front of me with a sneer on her face. I traced her arm and found her hand connected to my chest. Oh my God. It was _in_ my chest. Rebekah's hand had gone through my chest and it was now gripping my heart. The familiar sensation of my vision getting blurry and my eyes rolling into my head hit me and I swore internally. _Not now!_ But, it was inevitable.

 _In an all too familiar court, two people in masks were fencing. One of them was a woman, judging by her long skirt, and the other one was a younger boy. In the far back, Klaus was leaning against one of the pillars casually, watching the swordplay with an amused expression. His old-fashioned white shirt and tight black pants showed a well-trained body underneath, and his hair was a bit longer, which emphasized the curls in it._

" _Attaque au fer!" He ordered the two fighters. "Now counterparry." The woman was obviously outshining the boy, but I had to admit that he was doing a good job. However, he had to abandon when she pointed her sword at his heart, falling down to one knee._

" _A hit. Palpable hit." Klaus noted, smiling at the fencers. He looked serene, I had to admit. The woman removed her mask, blonde curls falling down her back. Rebekah, of course. The boy removed his too, and my heart clenched. It was Marcel. It had to be. He had the same warm eyes and chocolate skin, but most of all; he had the exact same smile. The only difference was that he must have been about 13 years old._

" _I'm going to marry you someday." He grinned at the beautiful vampire, and my heart sunk to the bottom of my stomach._

" _I would never marry someone who can't best me in a duel." Rebekah answered with a kind and sweet smile. It transformed her face from slightly bitchy to utterly lovable. Frankly, I could see why 13 year-old Marcel would have a big crush on her. "Another lesson?"_

 _The picture changed. The same two people were still fencing, but something was extremely different. For once, Klaus wasn't present. Secondly, the fencing man was bare-chested, and I recognized his muscular back very well. Thirdly, he was winning against Rebekah. He managed to push her against a wall, and they both lowered their swords. I got a bad feeling about the whole scene. They removed their masks, and Marcel moved closer to Rebekah. His hair was longer, but other than that, he looked exactly the same as he did in present time. His lips almost grazed Rebekah's when Klaus entered the room, and Marcel pulled away. I had never been as happy to see Klaus._

 _The last thing I saw before the vision went away was Klaus's glare and clenched jaw._

Rebekah released my heart quickly, nearly ripping it out in the process. I instinctively put both of my hands on my heart while I watched her wide eyes.

"What just happened?" She exclaimed, looking at me with disbelief in her blue eyes. I was too shocked to talk, but I doubt that I would've answered her if I could. "What _are_ you?"

"I see you and Marcel aren't married after all." I raised my brows at her when I finally managed to get my voice to function. _Probably_ not the smartest thing to say, but she just provoked me too much. "13-year-old Marcel was wrong." So what, I might be hurting Marcel with my words too. But, the image of the two of them basically eye-fucking was still burning in my head, and I wanted to get back at the both of them.

"What do you mean?" Rebekah sneered. She had released me, but one of her hands were still around my throat. Any sane being would apologize and let her have her way, but I didn't do that. Stupid, yes. Funny, also yes.

"I mean that Marcel never got to marry you like he said he wanted to all those years ago." I manager to lift my head and look the original vampire straight in the eyes. She paled and recoiled at my words.

"How did you know that?" She growled in my face, regaining her posture.

"I know thangs, Carrrllll." I panted, laughing internally at my own joke. The Walking Dead, anyone? Judging by the look on Rebekah's and Marcel's faces, they weren't as obsessed with tv-shows as I was. "Oh right. You're old." I smirked at Rebekah. _Ouch._ She tightened her grasp around my neck, and I struggled for air.

"You're really getting on my nerves, girl." She spat back at me, before turning to Marcel. I managed to lift a hand and wipe the spit from my cheek. "If you don't tell me where Elijah is _now,_ I will kill her." She commanded him, before turning around to face me again. "I'll do it slowly too." She leaned forward so that I could feel her warm breath prickle my skin. She bared her fangs, and I felt my heart beating faster. I didn't fancy feeling her hand around my heart again.

"Just let her go, please." Marcel begged her. He didn't dare advance on us, afraid of what Rebekah would do if he made a wrong move.

"And I'll make you watch too, Marcel." Rebekah gave him a devilish smile, and disgust twisted in my stomach. If there was anything left to love in her, I doubted that Marcel would see it.

"Fine! You win. I'll take you to Elijah if you release her." Marcel answered her quietly, and I could finally breathe again. Rebekah stepped away from me and gave me a sweet (extremely sarcastic) smile.

"Great." She told him with a cheery voice and I frowned at her back. Marcel ran up to me and supported me as I nearly crumpled to the ground. Wow, that was way too much life-threatening for one day.

"What a bitch." I muttered quietly as I steadied myself against Marcel taking in his familiar and calming scent. It was okay. I was safe. For the moment, at least.

"I heard that." Rebekah retorted, her back to me. I rolled my eyes and fell into Marcel's embrace. He wrapped his strong arms around me, and I melted into his chest. We stayed like that while my heart started slowing down. "Are you two lovebirds going to help me or not? Because I would gladly kill that blonde instead."

Marcel pulled away and glared at Rebekah while she twinned a lock of her blonde hair between her fingers. Oh, the hate I felt for her was strong. Merely looking at her made my blood boil.

"Follow me, then." Marcel said.

* * *

 _Third person point of view_

Rebekah barged into the Mikaelson house just as Klaus came down the mahogany stairs, glaring at some spot before him. The blonde vampire noted that her brother did have a tendency to do that very glass door behind her made a thumping noise as it closed and she walked up to her brother urgently.

"You were right. The girl, Juliette. She's the key." Rebekah told her still glaring brother. "Marcel loves her, and because of that, I got to see the secret weapon that you've been going on about."

Klaus took in his sister's words with an expressionless mask, which was entirely the opposite of what was going on inside of him. A storm of betrayal, anger, frustration and disbelief poisoned his heart. He had known that Marcel plotted against him, but to find out that there really was a secret weapon…

"Well, don't stand on ceremony. What is it?" He demanded impatiently. If Marcel had a weapon more powerful than the Original hybrid himself, then he had to get it. And, he had a feeling that he knew what could lead him straight to it. Or a who, perhaps.

"It's not a what. It's a who. A girl, Davina." Rebekah answered her older brother, recalling the past memories from the day. Not only had her encounter with the little bitch Juliette been awfully painful, but the memories of Marcel and her had also been recurring regularly since she got back to New Orleans. "She can't be more than 16, and I have never felt power like that." She recalled the feeling of being completely defenseless, which was something the blonde vampire hadn't felt in years, since they last encountered their father.

"A witch." Klaus muttered, feeling annoyance seeping into his emotional storm. Those bloody witches were _always_ in his way.

"She's not just any witch. She's something I've never seen before." Rebekah argued, fear seeping into her voice. Klaus didn't know what made the despair boil in him the most; his little sister's fear or the fear of this Davina that he felt too. "Something beyond powerful, and now because of you, she has Elijah." The accusation hit Klaus like a wall, and he took a small step back. Guilt joined the emotional storm now too. He hadn't _wanted_ to dagger his brother. But Elijah was far too loyal and reasonable, and he would in the end lead to a defeat against Marcel. It had been necessary for Klaus to dagger him. Rebekah should realize that, he thought.

"Who knows what she could do to him." Rebekah added, and something shifted in Klaus's stone heart. He had never thought that his brother would be in real danger with Marcel. As far as he remembered, Marcel was humble and merciful. But this… Klaus was seeing red.

"Where is she?" He asked Rebekah with a clenched jaw. The blonde vampire looked away from him with a calculating frown, but she didn't say anything.

Rebekah searched her mind for any memories of where Marcel had taken her, but it was completely blank.

"That clever bitch." She mumbled, remembering Davina's powers. She could still see her glaring blue eyes and the cold look on her face when she had thrown Rebekah into a wall. "I don't know." She breathed out with wide eyes. Klaus's eyes filled with worry as he watched her confusion.

"What's wrong?"

"She wiped my memory of the location." Fear settled in Rebekah's heart for real when the realization hit her. She took a step toward her brother in urgency before she spoke again. "Marcel possesses a weapon bigger and more powerful than an original, and you handed our brother to him! How many times will Elijah forgive you?" She was now yelling at her older brother, who was looking at her with impertinence. "How long until his hope for you finally dies?" She screamed before turning around and walking towards the door. She was so mad at Klaus that she could barely think. She needed to get away from him, and she needed to find Elijah. He had always cared for her through thick and thin.

"I did what I had to do!" Klaus growled while following his sister. "Marcel took our home!"

"And our home is worthless without family! I'm finding Elijah. Whatever it takes. Are you going to help me?" Rebekah's eyes watched Klaus filled with distrust, and his heart clenched with pain.

"Whatever it takes." He replied. Rebekah's chest fell down in relief, but something was still nagging her.

"There's something else too. The girl, Juliette, she… I was holding her heart in my hand when her eyes rolled back into her skull and she seemed to disappear for a few seconds." Rebekah explained, and Klaus frowned at his sister. This was exactly what had happened earlier in the day when he had been with Juliette.

"When she came back to consciousness again, she said something about me and Marcel" Rebekah continued and Klaus clenched his jaw. "–that there was no way she could know."

"He could have told her, little sister. They seem to be very much in love." Klaus said, bitterness tainting his voice. He hated watching Marcel and Juliette happy. Of course, Klaus also hated seeing people in love in general. Nevertheless, he couldn't shake those green eyes of hers… How they had looked at him before she fainted into his arms.

"I don't want to hear it." Rebekah answered with a sneer. "But I swear, I felt something when she passed out. She's not just a normal vampire, Klaus."

"Perhaps Marcel is not only housing one powerful weapon, but two." Klaus raised his eyebrows at his sister before flashing her a grin. "I'm going to find out what she is."


	11. Chapter 11: Lucifer's Eyes

The comfortable bed sunk under my weight as I rolled over on my stomach to look at Marcel. The light from the streetlight reflected against his bare muscles as he stood on the balcony, looking over his city. Something fluttered in my stomach as I observed his beauty silently. It had been a long night, and I should've been tired. But a million thoughts were going through my head, keeping me wide awake. I dragged the lilac covers atop of my dark blue silk nightgown, shielding my skin from the cold of the night breeze. I didn't know what time it was, but it felt as if there had been at least four hours since Klaus had been sitting before me in the red armchair in the right corner of the room.

Marcel seemed to get the hint that I was freezing, and shut the glass doors that led to the balcony softly. He pulled off his pants before sneaking into the bed, next to me. I instantly felt his warm arms around me as he pulled me close while examining my face fondly.

"I'm sorry about today." He whispered quietly, caressing my cheek with his hand. I sighed, not knowing what to answer. "There's no excuse for Rebekah." The way he said her name made my heart fill with a poisonous rancor, but I swallowed my outrage.

"She's… Nice." I chuckled ironically, even though all I wanted to do was to cry. "Did you love each other?" I asked him, doing everything not to let my voice crack. Marcel's brown eyes looked back at me with regret as he answered.

"Yes." His eyes didn't leave mine as he said it. My heart contracted with pain, but it was not because of Rebekah nearly ripping it out.

"Oh." I said, finally tearing my eyes away from Marcel's.

"I don't love her anymore, Juliette." He replied with a smile, and I looked back at him. My heart fluttered with hope.

"Then what were you two doing together when I was with Klaus earlier?" I frowned at my boyfriend, and he looked taken aback by the question.

"We were only talking about what she was doing in New Orleans." He was still stroking my cheek softly, but I calmly grabbed his hand.

"So there's nothing between you? She seemed pretty jealous of me when she was trying to kill me, you know." I stated with a scoff.

"She's never liked when she can't get what she wants."

"So she wants you?"

"What she wants isn't important, Julie." Marcel argued taking my hand in his to emphasize his words. The light from the balcony illuminated his high cheekbones, making his features seem more angular and arched. "What's important is what _I_ want." A warm coat settled around my heart, making it feel as if I was in a pink cloud. I leaned closer to Marcel with a small smile playing on my lips.

"And what do you want?" I asked him, even though I knew the answer. A smile tugged at the corners of his full lips.

"I don't know. Have any ideas?" He joked, and I grinned at him.

"Hmmm… Does she have green eyes?"

"Mhmmm."

"Does she happen to be extremely funny and sarcastic?"

"You can bet."

"Is she absolutely, completely, utterly sexy?"

"Oh, yes."

"Oh just kiss me." I finished, and Marcel's lips touched mine within a second. I put my hand on the back of his head as I kissed him back eagerly, savoring the taste of his lips against mine.

"I love you." Marcel pulled back and looked me in the eyes intently, emphasizing every word. I smiled at him widely before kissing his cheek softly.

"And I love you." I placed another kiss on his temple, but he was impatient and grabbed my waist. He pulled me even closer and I continued placing gentle kisses along his jawline and down his neck. His hands ran down my back, and I ensnared his legs with mine. Finally, his mouth met mine and my heart burst with love.

* * *

Marcel would be hosting a huge Masquerade party that night, and he had chosen not to tell me until the same day. That meant; I had shopping ahead of me. I would have gladly gone with Roxy or Davina, but I had a slight problem. Davina was locked up in the attic above the church, and Roxy was a night walker. It didn't matter how many times I had tried to convince Marcel to give her a daylight ring, but he was stubborn. " _She has to prove herself worthy of it."_ He said each time. " _And I did that by getting into bed with you, you mean?"_ I always retorted, earning a grin in return.

"Cami?" I told my phone as I started packing my handbag. _Wallet, keys, change…_ Yep, I had everything.

"Yes, Juliette?"

"I know this is a little unprofessional since you're kinda my boss, but I was wondering if you would go shopping with me today?" I asked her, squeezing the my phone between my ear and my shoulder.

"You see I'm going to a party tonight, and I have nothing to wear." I added, and Cami chuckled on the other end. I could hear that she was already at the bar because of the sound of glass against glass and rambling voices. I felt bad for her; It was only ten a.m. in the morning. Marcel was still sleeping soundly behind me, for God's sake.

"I really hate to go shopping alone. Pleeeeaaaseee?" I pouted, imagining that Cami could see my face. Finally I heard a sigh on the other end as she gave up.

"Alright. But my shift ends at 3 pm, so not until then." She replied, and I smiled.

"Great! See you then!" I hung up the phone and slipped it into the pocket of my leather jacket. I did a little pirouette in front of the mirror to check that my bleached skinny jeans looked fine before pulling on my black converses.

"See you later, honey." I placed a gentle kiss on Marcel's cheek and he opened his eyes at me.

"Why leave so early?" He moaned, squinting at the sun rays coming in through the balcony door. "Come back to bed." He tried grabbing my arm, but failed as I walked away from him.

"No-can-do, babydoll. I have a long day ahead of me." I laughed before walking out of the room.

* * *

"For f***'s sake!" I growled, managing to kick a stone on the ground before my vision started getting blurry. My nutjob head was failing me again, going into a trance in _the middle of the street._ People were already looking at the grown-up kicking rocks in frustration like a three-year-old, and when my eyes rolled back into my head, I can imagine that the staring only got worse.

 _I seemed to be in a small shop, judging by the lanky shelves lined against the walls. Something caught my attention; one shelf was entirely knocked down to the ground, along with a wooden counter. Products of different sorts were spread across the floor, making a whole mess of the place._

 _However, it was the sight of Rebekah which took me by surprise. She was standing in the middle of the room, near the broken shelf. A couple of feet away, Sophie Deveraux was looking at her with wide eyes. Rebekah sneered at something on the floor, and I followed her gaze. Katie, the witch who also happened to be Thierry's girlfriend, was lying on the floor, with Rebekah's stiletto heel against her coronary artery._

" _Then tell me… Who is this vampire Romeo of yours?" The blonde vampire sneered at Katie, impatience in her voice. She pressed down her heel further when Katie didn't answer her. "Shall I count to three?"_

I gasped for air as soon as my vision returned. Everything was the same in the street before me. The tourists were "oooing" and "aaaing" at the beautiful vintage buildings. Trumpets were playing somewhere in the background. People were still staring at me. But something had changed. Big-time. And I had no time to lose. I picked up my phone from my pocket and dialed Thierry as fast as I could.

"Come on... Answer." I muttered through my breath as there was only a beeping on the other end of the line. Finally, his voice sounded in my ear.

"This is Thierry. I can't answer right now, but please leave a message." I cursed silently but waited for the beep.

"Rebekah, Klaus's sister, knows about you and Katie. That means that Klaus will soon know about it too. I would advise you to do something about it before Klaus does something stupid." I said to the phone in a hushed manner. You could never know when people around you could have vampire hearing. Speaking of that… I had forgotten completely about Rachel and Sofia. I knew that I shouldn't be out in the open like this with them on the hunt for me, but Marcel hadn't been awake enough to object. True enough, I barely had the time to put the phone back into my pocket before a familiar ringtone filled my ears.

"HIGHWAY TO HELL!" I immediately clicked the "answer" button, blushing at the commotion that my loud ringtone had made. A lady beside me had stopped and was now looking at me like I was an abomination.

"Really funny, Marcel. When did you change my ringtone?" I muttered, putting the phone to my ear. Marcel laughed on the other line.

"You'll never know, sweetheart." I could hear the grin in his voice, and I couldn't help but smile. "You shouldn't be walking around town like that when you're being hunted." He argued. You see? Exactly what I was saying.

"I can't live my life like a prisoner."

"'Course you can. Now get your ass back here."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No. And jokes aside, what are you going to wear for tonight?" I asked Marcel with my sweetest voice.

"Come back to the compound and I'll tell you."

"Good try. Seriously, tell me."

"Seriously, no."

"You're such an ass."

"An ass you're in love with." My face cracked into a beam at the memory of me awkwardly confessing my feelings for Marcel three years ago. He still remembered.

"Alright, alright. I'll be back in an hour." I gave up, and Marcel became quiet on the other end.

"One hour? You need one hour to get back home?"

"Hey, do you want me to come at all?"

"Fine. Just stay safe, okay?"

"Of course. Love you." I smiled before snapping the phone shut and slipping it back into my pocket. What now? I had one hour before I had to be back at the compound.

"Let's go do some digging." I grinned to myself. I had a marvelous idea.

* * *

With a pot of ice-cream and drawing chalk in my arms, I entered the church. Father Kieran looked up at me before nodding.

"Here to see Davina." I answered his silent question, and he motioned at me to go up to the attic. Father Kieran didn't like me. Frankly, he didn't like any of us vampires. Could have something to do with the fact that he was a priest and we were monsters from hell, of course. I still thought his dislike towards me was wrongly aimed. I had always been nice to him.

"I brought gifts." I said as soon as I entered the small attic. The room was getting filled with more and more drawings for each day that passed, and that was without counting all of the drawings she had given Marcel and I. Davina looked up at me with big eyes before jumping up from the stool in front of the big canvas.

"You bought ice-cream?" She exclaimed with glee, and I laughed while giving her the cookie-dough delicious pot of heaven.

"I have these too." Davina thanked me as I gave her the chalks, and I smiled at her apologetically. "Technically, they're bribes. I came to ask for a favor."

"Hey, you just gave me a whole pot of ice-cream. I'll do anything." Davina chuckled before taking out a spoon from one of her drawers and practically ripping off the lid of the Ben & Jerry's jar. As she dug in, I walked up to the sleek mahogany coffin that was laying against the right wall of the small attic.

"Klaus's brother… The reasonable one, I've heard." I muttered. Davina looked up from the glass bucket long enough to frown at me.

"Your favor is about Elijah?"

"Yeah… I want to try something." I said absently as I snapped open the golden latches holding the coffin together. I lifted the lid slowly, almost afraid that any sudden sound would wake the sleeping Original up.

Elijah Mikaelson was definitely older than his brother, that much was obvious. But he had darker hair and a kinder face. He was also dressed in a fancy suit, a contrast to Klaus's signature tight long-sleeved shirt.

"Is Marcel okay with this, whatever it is you're doing?" Davina stuttered from behind me, doubt in her voice. I got it. She was constantly torn between Marcel and me. Sure, Marcel had been the one to literally _rescue_ her from the Harvest. But I had been like an older sister after. I had comforted her when she was having nightmares, I still did, and I had rescued her emotionally. Still, she looked up to Marcel a lot. I couldn't blame her; he had that calming effect on people.

"Oh, this won't affect Elijah in any way." I replied, looking over my shoulder to give the witch a reassuring smile. "I want to find out more about two vampires from out of town who have been following me. I believe they were turned by Klaus. Now, it's too dangerous for me to try to lure something out of Klaus, but… A _sleeping_ Original shouldn't do any harm." I explained, flashing Davina a grin at the last part.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to try and have a vision. I might need your help." I told her, as I took a deep breath to collect myself. I then rolled up the sleeve of my leather jacket before placing my palm on top of Elijah's heart, around the dagger. I concentrated as hard as I could on Sofia and Rachel, but nothing happened. Not a squat. I breathed in deeply and tried again. _Come on. Help me out here for once._

"Damn it!" I growled, pulling my hand back from the vampire. "Davina, can you get over here?" I heard the shuffle of her feet as she walked up to me and sunk down on her knees before the coffin. "I know that we still have no idea how my powers work, but maybe if I can borrow some of your energy…" Davina nodded and reached out her hand.

"Worth a try." Her blue eyes were wise and calm as I took her hand, and placed the other hand on Elijah's heart again. I concentrated on Rachel and Sofia, and this time I felt something happen in my body. It was one of the most sensational things I had ever felt. I could feel the surge of energy from Davina's hand like a strong current, and my vision blurred. Soon enough, my eyesight disappeared completely.

 _Elijah Mikaelson was sitting at a vintage desk, clad in a medieval tunic. His hair was long, flowing over his shoulder. He was looking at a book before him intently. With a sigh, he dipped a quill into a pot of ink and placed it on the paper._

" _ **August 1359. I have noticed a difference in my siblings. Our bond strains beneath the pressure of our life as vampires. Each day removes them further from the humanity we once possessed. My sweet sister, Rebekah, has grown quite indifferent to brutality. However, the true problem remains my brother, Niklaus."**_ _His quill scribbled on the paper quickly, but elegantly. He wrote slow enough so that I could read his words._

" _ **He has started to gather an army to conceal his own loneliness. Fear and loathing of our father has led him to paranoia, and he is convinced that he needs even more protection from Mikael."**_ _An army… Was that why he was so interested in Rachel and Sofia?_

" _ **Klaus and his soldiers continue to roam every town we visit with cruelty, killing as many innocent humans as they can without alarming Mikael.**_ _ **Still, I cling to the hope that I, as their eldest brother, can lead them down the correct path, a path charged with the power of a family united. For if I fail, our family's legacy will end in darkness."**_

"Wow." I gasped as I returned to reality, letting go of Davina's hand. "I have never experienced my powers like that before." I hadn't seen a lot, but it was a good start. For once, I had chosen my powers, and not the other way.

"What did you see?" Davina asked, as I stood up and brushed my hands against my skinny jeans.

"I saw a journal entry that Elijah was writing year 1359." I replied as I started telling her everything I knew about Rachel and Sofia, and what they had to do with the Originals.

* * *

"Damn, I look good in a suit." Marcel exclaimed, admiring himself in the mirror. I rolled my eyes but smiled at him. He was right, of course. The suit truly made him look like a king.

"Going for the Bond-look, then?" I asked him while filing my nails. Marcel turned around and grinned at me.

"Will you do me the honor of being my Bond-girl?" He winked, while the tailor kept working on his suit. I looked up from him with skeptic eyes.

"I'm nobody's girl." I scolded him, but then shook my head with a small smile. "But just for the night, I can be yours." Marcel laughed and blew me a kiss, since he couldn't step down from the podium where he was getting his suit fitted.

"My guy at the docks is gonna come forward as an eyewitness, say he saw those two drunkenly fall into the Mississippi." Thierry entered the room with a tired look. I widened my eyes at him. What was he doing there? Hadn't he gotten my message. "They'll be dredging for weeks. No one will come looking around here." Thierry met my gaze and frowned at me. "That's good, considering one's dead in a dumpster behind the county morgue, and the other one is a vampire now. Anything else?" Marcel spoke. He was still looking at himself in the mirror, so I picked up my phone and violently motioned at it while giving Thierry a meaning look. He pulled up his own phone and his eyes widened in realization. I suddenly wished that I had sent him a text, but it was too late now. I don't know why I couldn't tell Thierry out loud what Klaus seemed to be planning, but some part of me didn't want Marcel to find out. I had no idea. In fact, it was pretty stupid of me to keep my mouth shut. But I couldn't shake the feeling that I couldn't betray Klaus.

"Uhm–" I could see that Thierry had something else to say, but his eyes were glued to the screen of the phone. "No, nothing." He muttered, before walking out of the room, the phone already to his ear.

"Is it just me or has he been acting weird lately?" Marcel asked me as soon as his friend was out of the room, but I just shrugged.

"I haven't noticed anything."

"Juliette! What a wonderful surprise." An all too familiar british accent rang through the room, and I turned my head to face Klaus. He was smirking at me as usual, dimples showing as clearly as ever.

"Wish I could say the same." I answered with a scoff, but Klaus wouldn't be discouraged. I saw Marcel look at us from the corner of my eye, and turned back to him.

"I assume you're coming tonight too?" I asked Klaus absently, continuing to file my nails.

"There's a party?" He repeated with surprise. Oh, crap. I had concluded that he was invited to the charity event that Marcel was hosting, but I had never asked Marcel straight away.

"I'm hosting a Masquerade Gala as a charity event. For business, you know." My boyfriend filled in, smiling at Klaus. "You're welcome to come."

Klaus smiled secretively before turning his sparkling eyes back to me.

"That depends. Were you asking me to be your date, love?" He asked me as the room went still. I could feel the rivalry between the two men as thick as ice, and yet I couldn't hide the blush creeping up on my face. Klaus's blue eyes were watching me humorously, his full lips turned into a playful smile. Okay, this was silly. Klaus was obviously just telling me this to provoke Marcel. Indeed, I barely had the time to stutter out a no before Marcel was at my side.

"She's going with me, of course." He flashed Klaus a grin, but I could hear the underlying anger in his voice.

"Of course." Klaus replied with an equal grin and angry undertone. I rolled my eyes at the two of them, even though the attention made my ego jump with glee. However, territorial crap wasn't really my thing.

"Come on. Walk with me." Marcel brushed past his friend, and Klaus followed him. I stared at them in disbelief as they exited the room without me.

"Can they stop doing that?" I whispered to myself, not believing my eyes.

* * *

Davina helped me do my makeup for the night. Since she was locked up in the attic, she had taken up quite a few hobbies. One of them being makeup.

"I want to look like her." I had told her, motioning for the ad in the newspaper for the latest James Bond movie, _Skyfall._ I had gone and seen it with Marcel a couple of days earlier, and ever since then I hadn't been able to shake the mystery about _Sévérine._

"That should be easily done." Davina had answered with a smile as she started pinning my hair in all different sorts of ways possible to hide it under the wig-cap. What? I like to go all-in when it comes to events like these. Besides, it's a masquerade. I don't want anyone to recognize me.

Now, Davina was making the last touches on my lipstick. I looked straight ahead through the mirror, but I barely recognized myself.

"You're amazing, D." I beamed at the reflection of Davina, and the corners of her lips turned up at the use of the nickname Marcel and I had given her.

"Well, there's not much to do up here." She sighed, her smile falling. A familiar rush of guilt swelled in my heart, and I turned around in the chair to face her.

"I'm sorry, Davina. I wish that you could get out of here, but it's too dangerous." She shied away from my eyes, a strand of brown hair falling into her eye.

"I know. It's just that it sucks being locked in here like a prisoner." She mumbled, a deep sorrow in her voice I hadn't heard in a long time. She wasn't always happy, of course, but it had been a while since she had looked like that. I stood up from the chair and walked up to her to pull her into a hug.

"It sucks not getting to see you whenever I want." I murmured into her hair, before pulling away. "I wish you could be there tonight."

"I doubt another run-in with Rebekah would end well." Davina chuckled with a proud smile. Oh right, I remembered her telling me about practically throwing Rebekah out of the window with her magic when she had come for Elijah. "Are you going to sing tonight?"

"Yes. Marcel asked me to sing as a favor for him." I smiled at her, feeling the familiar nervousness well up within me. Even though my job had been to sing for the last three years, I was still anxious before every performance.

"Just try not to charm too many men, Juliette." Davina smiled at me knowingly while checking that my wig sat correctly on the top of my head. "I doubt Marcel would enjoy that."

"Hey, I can't promise anything." I laughed, and Davina joined in.


	12. Chapter 12: I'm a Fool

_Third person point of view_

The compound was already full of people when Klaus entered the homely court arm-in-arm with his sister. Everywhere around them, people in masks were talking, laughing and dancing. Klaus smiled for himself. He had always loved these kinds of get togethers. It made him feel somewhat alive and thriving.

He and Rebekah stopped while they looked around them. All sorts of acrobats and dancers were making their art on stages in between the crowd of people, and the whole thing was in one word spectacular. Klaus turned to his sister with a small smile.

"Well, this certainly is a fitting backdrop for tonight's events, I must say." He noted, earning a nod from his sister. She was still cold towards him because of Elijah, which Klaus still thought was completely unreasonable. However, Rebekah always came back around in time.

"I need booze." The blonde in question spoke with an annoyed voice, turning to Klaus. "Want some?" Klaus shook his head, and his sister left him standing alone. He himself was starting to search the crowd for any familiar faces when something caught his attention. The music around him had changed from electronic to a slow dance, and someone was playing a song very dear to him.

" _ **I'm a fool to want you."**_ The mesmerizing voice caught Klaus completely off guard as he quickly looked around to see where it came from. His eyes traveled over the room through the dim blue light, until they found its goal. In the far corner of the court, near the stairs that led up to the balconies, was a stage. Klaus slowly made his way through the crowd of vampires while his eyes watched the singer.

" _ **To want a love that can't be true."**_ Klaus's eyes roamed the woman from head to toe. They followed her long legs that were nearly exposed, weren't it from the see-through silk fabric that flowed from her waist. The black bodice clung to her upper body, fitting her like a glove. The same fabric that flowed down her legs also covered her arms. A sweetheart neckline showed off her curves perfectly, and Klaus had to resist the urge to lick his lips.

" _ **I'm a fool to hold you."**_ Finally, his eyes fastened on her face. The only thing he could make out, even though he was standing quite near her by now, was dark burgundy lips. A black mask with silver gems covered the rest of her face, making it impossible for the original hybrid to make out who the woman was. Lastly, her brown hair was tucked into a perfect 1920's hairdo. Klaus would know; he had been there.

" _ **To share a kiss the devil has known."**_ Her voice was the most beautiful thing that Klaus had ever heard, and that's saying very much. He was, after all, more than a thousand years old. Yet the voice itself wasn't very special; No, it was the feeling behind it that made his heart clench. And so, the cold-hearted monster Niklaus Mikaelson stood before the stage, not able to tear his eyes off the enchanting woman.

* * *

 _Juliette's point of view_

Throughout half of the song, I noticed Klaus standing in front of the stage, watching me. I nearly lost my way with the words when I realized that he didn't recognize me. No, because there wasn't a smirk on his face. Only a pure, amazed and innocent expression that I had never seen on his face before. It made my heart beat faster than I wanted to, so I quickly tore my eyes away from the elegant man and tried to find Marcel in the crowd.

" _ **Pity me, I need you."**_ I sang as I finally found him in the crowd. To my dismay, he was speaking to Rebekah at the bar. I once again found myself nearly forgetting the words, so I gulped and looked back at Klaus. I would deal with Marcel later.

" _ **I know it's wrong, it must be wrong."**_ I closed my eyes, trying to get the picture of Marcel and Rebekah out of my mind. I was singing for Marcel's sake, and he was chit-chatting with his old flame. My blood was boiling with rage, but I let the song consume me.

" _ **But right or wrong, I can't get along without you."**_ The high note echoed through the room, and I opened my eyes again. I felt them travel back to Klaus's, and this time I didn't look away. He was looking at me so intently that it was hard to physically tear my eyes away from him. I– Well, there was something about his gaze that was so enthralling.

Klaus instantly walked up to me as soon as I had stepped down from the stage. I had noticed that Marcel was still speaking to Rebekah, so I gladly gave my hand to Klaus when he reached for it.

"What a stunning voice you have, love." He smiled before placing a kiss on my hand. I smiled back at him when a thought hit me; I could have a lot of fun with this. As long as I distorted my voice a bit, I could keep pretending that I was someone else.

"Thank you. What's your name?" I asked him, making my voice just a fragment lower. The change was barely noticeable, but still very different from my normal voice.

"Klaus Mikaelson. And what is yours, if I may ask?" The Original Hybrid replied with a charming smile. I was hit with the sudden realization that this was exactly like his first encounters with Rachel and Sofia. So this was how he wooed people… I had to admit that he was quite convincing.

"Evangeline Adams." Why, I can't be the only one with a made-up alias? This was the name I always used when Caroline and I played spies when we were little. Caroline… I hadn't thought of her for a while.

"Would you dance with me, Evangeline?" Klaus held out his hand. I threw a last glance at Marcel and the blonde she-devil before flashing the hybrid a smile. I took his hand and let him lead me to the dance floor. I was having the time of my life, living a double life. However, when Klaus put his hand around my waist, something sparked in me. Kind of like when I get visions, but… I didn't get a vision. Klaus smiled as he leaned in close to me, and I put my hands around his neck. I barely noticed the cellos in the band playing a cover of _A Thousand Years,_ if it hadn't been for the fact that it was one of my favorite songs.

"You seem familiar. Have I met you before?" Klaus spoke close to my ear, his warm breath tickling my cheek. I gulped and fought back a blush. _Damn it._ I hated that he had this effect on me.

"No, I believe we haven't."

"I doubt I would forget a voice like yours." Klaus pulled back a bit and smiled knowingly. He still hadn't recognized me, and thank God for that. I was playing a dangerous game. I found myself thanking the brown contact lenses. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you might think I took the outfit a _bit_ too far, but… To my defense, it was really helping me now. "I wish you would remove your mask, love." Klaus ran a finger along the curve of my jaw, and an involuntary shudder ran through my body. He seemed to notice and smirked. Then, he pulled me closer again and placed his cheek against mine. Meanwhile, I was trying to get my breathing to function normally.

"Klaus!" Marcel exclaimed from behind us, and I quickly pulled away from the Hybrid.

"Marcel. How nice to see you." Klaus beamed at his friend and put his hand on the small of my back. I saw Marcel clench his jaw. "This is–"

"Juliette." Marcel interrupted him, reaching out his hand to me and placing his arm around my shoulders. I removed my mask and gave Klaus a small smile. Time seemed to stop as I waited for his reaction. The hybrid looked baffled, while Marcel looked quite furious. Then, when I thought one of them was going to explode, Klaus's face cracked into a grin.

"I knew I had met you before, love." He told me, but his attitude toward me had changed. I couldn't quite put my finger on what; maybe it was the way a crack had appeared in his facade. "Well played."

"Let's dance." Marcel told me, and I waved a little at Klaus before following him.

* * *

"What were you doing, dancing with Klaus?" Marcel asked me, collected indignation in his eyes. I rolled my eyes, but followed his steps as he led me on the dancefloor.

"What were _you_ doing, talking with Rebekah?" I retorted with equal anger. Okay, maybe mine wasn't as contained as Marcel's. I was jealous. I had a right to be, too. From what I saw, Marcel and Rebekah didn't have just a fling. The image was still burning in my mind.

"She was looking at you like she wanted to rip your head off, so I told her to back off." Marcel answered simply, as if it was nothing.

"Oh, please. You two were looking quite cosy." I scoffed, looking away from him. Couldn't he understand how neglected I felt? He had asked me to sing for him because he loves to hear me sing, and then instead of listening… He was talking to her.

"You know that there's nothing between us!" My boyfriend exclaimed, not containing his annoyance anymore. I looked back at him, fire in my eyes. I didn't even think of the fact that vampires all around us had stopped dancing and were looking at us. I believe that one of them was Klaus, and I was fairly certain that Rebekah was eavesdropping too.

"Fine, but then you can't blame me for dancing with Klaus!" I told him in return, lowering my voice. Although I guess that Klaus and Rebekah could still hear us with their vampire hearing.

"He can't be trusted–"

"When will you stop controlling me?" I released Marcel abruptly and took a step back. My temper was failing me completely, but Marcel freaking deserved it!

"Can't you see he's just using you?!" He shot back at me, and now I really noticed that people were backing away from us, creating an empty circle around us. "He's trying to lure you in to get to me!" My blood ran cold, and my heart seemed to drop into the pit of my stomach. I wanted to cry out in despair, but of course I didn't.

"Look, Marcel." I went up close to him and sneered in his face. I didn't let go of his gaze while I spoke. "Everything isn't about you, believe it or not. You might be king of all the vampires in New Orleans. But you _don't own me._ I won't let you treat me as if I'm some kind of object of yours! In that case, you might as well go back to Rebekah." I gave out a careless laugh, knowing that that brat was listening. "She seems like the type who would fall for your territorial bullshit. I'm not."

I turned around and waltzed out of the court. Once outside, I let the tears fall. The sadness didn't last for long, however. It was soon replaced by rage again, and I knew exactly what to do to to get it out of my system. Hunt.

* * *

The girl slumped to the ground and I savored the taste of her blood in my mouth. Hunting the young woman had made me forget the anger that I was feeling. I wiped my mouth off and felt my fangs retract. I threw one last glance at the woman. She was dead.

Oh my God. I had killed someone. I had killed a completely innocent, young girl. She can't have been more than fifteen. But she had been drunk, and she had been stupid enough to be out this late; Most of all, she'd been in the way of a confused, enraged and scared young vampire. I slid down to the ground next to the body and put my face in my hands. I was a monster. I was a beast. I was no more than an animal. The sobs filled me up as my shoulders started to shake violently. I felt so lost, so utterly lost.

"And we thought you'd never be in our reach." A british voice called out from the end of the dark alley, and my instincts kicked in. Within a second, I was standing before the owner of the voice with my fangs bared. The tall figure was standing in the shadow, so I couldn't see her face. Her voice felt fairly familiar, however.

"Yet here you are, completely unprotected." Another voice sounded from behind me, and I turned around. The other figure stepped out of the shadows, and I could see her face. Sofia. She looked down at the corpse on the ground next to us, and then back at me again. A flash of irritation appeared in her blue eyes.

"Was that _really_ necessary? We're trying to keep a low profile here." She said, holding my gaze. She stepped closer to me, and I recognized Rachel. The latter grinned at me, showing me her fangs.

"You have no idea how hard it's been to find you." Her pastel pink hair was loose and flowed down her shoulders, and she was of course wearing heels. I was pretty tall, but compared to Rachel, I was a dwarf. Crap, why was I even thinking of these things? I should be putting up a fight, or fleeing.

"That vampire king, Marcel Gerard… He's held you in a tight leash." Sofia said, joining Rachel's side. My gaze flickered between them, and I didn't know what to do. Even trying to fight them would be a suicide, and trying to run would be useless.

"You're going to help us with something." Rachel went straight to the matter, cocking her head to the side and giving me a sweet smile. I could see through it, however.

"What if I don't want to help you?" I retorted, crossing my arms. It was no use, of course, but I wouldn't go with them completely voluntarily.

"Unfortunately, we aren't asking you." Sofia replied, and I barely had the time to blink before her hands wrapped around my neck. A sharp crack, and everything went black.


	13. Chapter 13: Sing Me Out

My feet felt strangely wet. As if I was sitting in water. But that couldn't be real, so I opened my eyes. I looked directly at my feet and realized that they were in a puddle of water. My hands were bound behind my back, and when the only thing that came out of my mouth were muffled sounds, I realized that I was also gagged. As I tried to twist my hands out of the ropes, I also realized that the ropes were soaking with vervain. A searing pain traveled from my wrists up my arms, so I stopped struggling against my bindings. I looked around myself to keep my thoughts from the throbbing ache in my wrists. I was sitting on cold stone floor against a brick wall in some sort of warehouse. At least that's what it looked like judging by the high ceiling and the small windows that lined the upper sides of the walls. Beams in metal lined the walls and the ceiling, but what surprised me the most was the size of the warehouse. It was big. Really big. In fact, it was so big that it could easily be an old IKEA. But it was empty, so probably not.

"Good. You're awake." Rachel entered the door on the opposite side of the room. I probably wouldn't have heard her if it wasn't for the fact that the room echoed. Rachel vamp-sped up to me (apparently she was too lazy to walk across the warehouse) and watched me silently. Today she was wearing boots instead of stilettos, which she matched with high-waisted jeans and a colorful crop-top. Her pink hair was pulled up in a tight ponytail. Shit, wait. It was day outside. How long had I been there?

"Llmemeemee-gggogggo." I tried to speak through the muzzle, but clearly failed. I have to admit, being kidnapped was not as scary as it seemed. Although my neck kind of hurt from well, being snapped. Rachel leaned forward and pulled off my gag.

"Can't do that." She shrugged as she pulled back again. I glared at her.

"A warehouse? Really? Could you _BE_ any more stereotypical? I mean, everyone knows that when they're kidnapped, they get put in empty old scary warehouses." I rambled on nervously. "My friends will find me."

"Well, that requires that they actually come looking for you." Rachel retorted, and I rolled my eyes. "We were at the party last night. Frankly, I don't think that lover of yours will come looking for you anytime soon." _Lover. Again._ What was it with these old people and using weird words? I get that they were born a long time ago, but they could -you know- try to update themselves with the world.

"She isn't answering." My second kidnapper basically plopped up beside Rachel with a sigh and I jumped. Okay, Sofia scared me a little bit. But to my defense, she was FREAKISHLY strong _and_ she had snapped my neck.

"What do you mean, _she isn't answering?_ She's been hunting us for a hundred years." Rachel exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air while glaring at her friend.

"It's not _my_ fault, you pom!" Sofia grunted with a roll of her eyes. I was looking them with a baffled look. I was having a hard time deciding if they acted more like a married old couple or two three-year olds.

"Who is _she?"_ I asked them with a stutter. I was so done with all of these people that were after me. I couldn't even keep count anymore. Rachel, Sofia, some random witches probably, Klaus, Rebekah… You name it. Rachel and Sofia didn't even glance at me before continuing to speak to each other. Those bitches.

"Anyway, I've sent her a message that we're here." Sofia shrugged, straightening out her tight calf-long burgundy dress. I have always wondered why people wear impractical clothes like that on a daily basis; How on earth can you even move around in that?

"We should probably try to find her anyway. We can't keep her locked up in here forever." Rachel finally looked at me, and I nodded as to agree with her.

"We'll be back."

* * *

Like hell they came back. I had no idea what time it was or how much time I had been in the warehouse when night started falling. I found myself remembering Rachel's words; _I don't think that lover of yours will come looking for you anytime soon._ Apparently she was right. Although, why would Marcel come searching for me? We had had a huge fight the night before. Just thinking about it made my heart clench. And what other people could possibly come and look for me? Davina wasn't allowed to leave the attic. Klaus… No, Klaus didn't care about me. Like Marcel had said, he only showed interest in me to get to Marcel. I didn't doubt it.

When darkness really came, fear came with it. I don't like the dark, okay? It's deeply rooted within me. I've been afraid of the dark ever since I was three and thought a monster lived in my wardrobe.

"Hello?" I called out into the dark warehouse. The only audible sound was the echo of my own voice. "Is anyone there?" I was aware of my quivering voice, but I didn't care. I was kidnapped, for God's sake. Maybe someone was guarding me, and they wouldn't mind turning on the lights or something. When no one answered, panic kicked in. _Shit shit shit._ I was completely alone in a dark warehouse and I had no idea what time it was. I struggled against the ropes around my wrist, but the searing pain of the vervain was too much. Against my will, two tears ran down my cheeks. I missed Marcel. Despite my anger towards him, I missed him more than anything in that moment. I missed his warm, comforting embrace. I was scared. Despite my vampire powers, I was scared. _If you're feeling scared, sing. That always cheers you up, honey._ The words my father had told me when I was little and couldn't sleep resurfaced in my mind, and I fought back more tears. I had barely thought of my parents in three years, but they both had their moments. My father had been an incredible father before he started working with Mayor Lockwood; before I left he was never at home anymore. My mother neither, for that cause.

" _ **Underneath the echoes**_

 _ **Buried in the shadows**_

 _ **There you were"**_

It felt strange to sing when no one was there, but the sound of my voice soothed me. IT made the warehouse feel less empty.

 _ **Drawn into your mystery**_

 _ **I was just beginning**_

 _ **To see your ghost**_

 _ **But you must know"**_

My heartbeat slowed down steadily the more I sang. Maybe I could make it through the night after all.

 _Third person point of view_

The werewolf was standing guard outside the enormous warehouse on the other side of the Mississippi river when he heard something that sounded strangely like music.

"D'ya hear that, Mike?" He turned to his friend, removing his hood as if to hear the music better. He was sure that someone was playing music.

"Nah, you're just tired, dude." Mike answered, slightly annoyed. When his boss had asked him to be guard, he hadn't imagined that he'd stay guard for the entire night.

"I'm not kidding, I–" The other werewolf argued, before leaving his post. Mike was about to object, but followed his friend. David, his friend, leaned his head towards the metal wall. "I think the vampire's singing."

"What?" Mike replied with disbelief, before mimicking his friend. "Dude, you're right."

"She's good too." David whispered, listening to the beautiful voice. "Why do you think they've captured her?"

"I dunno. But it's not our job to question the bosses." Mike shrugged before walking back to his voice. Mike stayed close to the wall, listening to the female voice singing softly. He had always had a soft spot for women with amazing singing voices. "Dude!" Mike added with wide eyes, motioning with his hands.

"Yeah, yeah, alright. I'm coming." He rolled his eyes before walking back to his post with a pout.

 _Juliette point of view_

" _ **I'll be here waiting**_

 _ **Hoping, praying**_

 _ **That this light will guide you home**_

 _ **When you're feeling lost**_

 _ **I'll leave my love**_

 _ **Hidden in the sun**_

 _ **For when the darkness comes"**_

I stopped abruptly when I was sure I heard a loud _"dude!"_ , and looked around me. I couldn't see anything, of course. The warehouse was dark as ink, and not even my vampire sight could see in it. So I relied on my hearing instead.

"Yeah, yeah, alright. I'm coming." A male voice spoke. HA! So there were guards. Now I just had to figure out how to convince them to let me go. Whoever this woman that Rachel and Sofia had been talking about, I did NOT want to meet her.

* * *

This had to work. It really had to work. Otherwise I was screwed.

"HELP!" I screamed at the top of my lungs in the direction of the entrance to the warehouse. The sun had just gone up, and it illuminated the enormous room. I knew that it had just gone out, since I had stayed up for the entire night making up a plan. And maybe singing. A lot. "HELP!" I screamed again, but nothing happened. Alright, maybe I needed to step up my acting game. "Please help me, I beg of you!" I added some fake tears on top of that, hulking. I never knew I was this good at acting.

"Hey, David!" A guy entered the warehouse, and after him came another one, who was currently shouting at his buddy. "Stop it!"

"Let's just hear her out." The first man said, before looking straight at me. The smell of wet dog invaded my mouth, and my heart rate slowed down. They were werewolves. That was not a part of my plan. Werewolf bites were lethal to vampires, and I doubted that my special psychic powers would help against venom.

"Please, it hurts." I sobbed, motioning to my hands. The two guys finally came up to me and examined me cautiously with their eyes. The first one, David, was quite short, but still muscular. He wore a hoodie with a leather jacket on top, and had a soft expression on his face. He also seemed quite young. The other one, whose name I didn't know, looked more harsh. He seemed to be about ten years older. His rugged appearance and the stubble on his chin made him appear more strict, and the fact that he was glaring at me only proved my theory. I turned my eyes to David.

"Will you please untie my ropes? It hurts so much, I can't even breathe." I pleaded of him, and showed him my bloody wrists. "I don't even know why I'm here."

"You know perfectly well why you're here, vampire." The other guy spat, cold blooded rage in his eyes. I was starting to see the rivalry between werewolves and vampires now.

"Chill, Mike. She hasn't done anything to hurt you." David told his friend, who rolled his eyes at him.

"I was walking home from a party when they came all of a sudden and attacked me." I added some fear into my voice, before turning to Mike. "Look, I have nothing against you werewolves. I'm peaceful, and I've never understood why vampires hate you so much." The older werewolf looked at me suspiciously, while David was watching me in contemplation.

"But I beg of you, please remove my ropes. I promise that I won't do anything, I just want to get rid of the pain." I begged. The kinder one of the two werewolves was now scratching his chin, and I gathered all the energy I had left into giving him my most pleading puppy eyes.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Mike said urgently as David advanced towards me with pity. He tried grabbing his friend's arm, but failed. "The bosses will kill us."

"Come on, Mike. She just wants to get rid of the ropes. Besides, what chance does she have to escape? We're two to one." David answered, slowly tying up my ropes. My heart went lighter than it had been in days. This was it. The ropes around my wrists went free and I had about a fraction of a second to make my move. My right hand flew up and hit David right in the neck, sending him tumbling to the wet floor. Before Mike had any time to react, I was up on my feet and speeding towards him. My knee connected with his… Manly parts, and he groaned in pain. I smiled at him victoriously, but knew that the advantage of surprise was running out. I was alone against two werewolves who were unfortunately lethal to me, and they were slowly regaining their composure. David, the werewolf who had looked kind, was glaring at me furiously with his glowing yellow eyes. He was up on his feet again, snarling at me with his canines. _Shit._ I braced myself for the attack when a searing pain hit me on my left arm.

"Ow!" I yelled out as my gaze flew to my arm. A seeping red liquid was making it's way through punctures in my leather jacket. "You bit me, you dog!" I growled at Mike, who was recoiling from the bite. He gave me a mocking grin as I attacked him once again. This time, I tugged at his shoulder-length hair, forcing his head down on the ground.

" _And_ you ruined my favorite jacket." I snarled at his ugly face, baring my fangs at him. I felt the werewolf venom seep into my system slowly, but I ignored it.

Mike sneered and slammed his fist into my face, while I heard Mike slowly coming up behind me. I really had no chance to beat them both.

"You will pay for this." I threatened Mike, motioning to my now ruined jacket. "But not right now." Those were the last words I said before I got the hell out of there as fast as I could.

* * *

"Well, beside from the bite, that was ridiculously easy." I told Marcel as he padded my forehead with a tired, slightly shocked, look. The fever from the werewolf bite had started to kick in, and it felt like my blood was boiling hot."I never thought werewolves were that stupid."

"You just got kidnapped, and then bitten, and _that's_ what you're thinking about?" Marcel looked at me in disbelief, and I avoided him to look around me. I was in the room I had come to call my home, but something was different. The sound of the parades out in the street didn't calm me. The sunlight shining through the window didn't make me at peace. Marcel's warm eyes didn't make me feel safe.

"What do you want me to think about, Marcel? That I was all alone in a warehouse, kidnapped by two ancient vampires, left in the dark, and _no one_ came to look for me? That I was nearly given away to some powerful woman who intended to use me for my powers?" I exclaimed at Marcel, feeling the involuntary tears flood over. To my defense, I had had a hard night. My boyfriend's hand moved up to my cheek as he tried to soothe me with calming words.

"It's okay now. You're safe with me." He said, and I regulated my breathing. Marcel sighed and ran a hand through his cropped hair. "I called you a hundred times, but I assumed you were ignoring me because of what happened three days ago."

"THREE DAYS AGO?!" I yelled, sitting up in the king-sized bed with a panicked expression. The world started spinning around me and I started to feel lightheaded, so I slowly sunk back down on the bed."I've been gone for three days?" I breathed.

"Yes, and you've missed quite a lot, love." Klaus appeared in the doorway, grinning at me with crossed arms. My gaze instantly flew to Marcel.

"What did I miss?" I asked him with urgency. Guilt flashed by his eyes, but he shook his head.

"We'll talk about it when you're healed." Marcel said before turning to Klaus. "Thank you for coming." There was no trace of jealousy in his voice, to my relief. I had had enough of fighting.

"Of course. You're giving me back my brother. It's the least I can do, mate." Klaus smiled at Marcel, earning a smile in return.

"Not that your little bonding moment isn't cute, but I'm kind of dying over here." I reminded them, motioning to my wounded arm. Marcel had removed my leather jacket and rolled up the silk sleeve, revealing two bloody half circles of puncture wounds. Klaus nodded at me before making his way over to the bed. I tried to look anywhere besides at his eyes as he sat down next to me. It still felt kind of awkward after our dance, and I had no idea if he was angry at me for pretending I was someone else or not.

Klaus bit his wrist before slowly bringing it to my mouth. His warm blood filled my mouth, and the same euphoric feeling that always overtook my senses whenever I drank blood filled my mind. But then, something unexpected happened. I got a vision, which shouldn't have been that unexpected. However, I saw Klaus's eyes widen at the same time as the vision hit me.

" _Happy birthday, love." Klaus smiled at me from across the table. This scene was different from my usual visions. Normally, I was a spectator, invisible to the world around me. Now, I was watching the world from my own eyes. The scary thing was that I was feeling things from the future me. When I looked at Klaus, there was no hint of fear or loathing in my heart._

 _We were sitting on a small table on a balcony. Hey, it was the balcony that led out from my bedroom at the compound! Someone had dragged a table and two chairs there, and everything looked very fancy. Candles illuminated the evening sky, sending dancing shadows on Klaus's face. He was looking rather handsome, wearing a suit and bowtie. For the moment, he was reaching out an envelope to me._

" _You didn't need to get me anything–" I stuttered, flustered by the attention that he was giving at me. The hybrid watched me with an adoring expression, insisting that I accept the letter. I smiled at him as I took it in my hand. Our fingers touched and a spark flew right through my body at lightning speed. I blushed and looked down at the letter. My name was written on the front in a handwriting I much recognized as Klaus's. I opened it slowly, not knowing what to expect._

" _I'll take you wherever you want." I read out loud, looking up to meet Klaus's knowing smile. The world around us seem to stop. "What do you mean?"_

" _Well, I know you've always wanted to see the world, love." The hybrid took my hand in his while he spoke, his eyes not leaving mine. I couldn't believe what I was hearing._

" _It's always been my dream but–" I started, but Klaus's hand around mine was quite distracting. It made me think of Klaus's fingers touching me elsewhere on my body, and I was not ready for those kinds of feelings yet._

" _I want to give that dream to you." He explained, and the amount of love I felt for him in that second overwhelmed me. Yes, you heard it right. Love. The future me was clearly in love with Klaus Mikaelson, and he seemed to be pretty much in love with me too._

" _I can't accept it– It's too much." I answered, even though my heart beat frantically with excitement at the mere thought of seeing the world with Klaus._

" _We can go to Venice, Amsterdam, Paris… Wherever you want to, love." Klaus whispered, giving me his classic lopsided smile, which made his dimples stand out unusually much._

" _This is the best gift I've ever gotten." I breathed, finally letting it sink in. I was going to travel the world with the man I loved._

" _I love you, Juliette Walters." Klaus said simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He leaned over the table and combed a strand of my hair behind my hair lovingly. "And I intend to make every single one of your dreams come true."_

" _I love you. You know that, right?" I asked him, drowning in his blue eyes. They seemed surprised, but Klaus smiled back at me._

" _It still feels strange to hear it, love."_

" _Want me to say it again?" I inquired with a chuckle. Klaus gave me an adorable smile, and I leaned over to place a kiss on his nose. "I love you." I then moved my lips over to his cheek, placing another kiss right where his stubble ended. "I love you." I kissed him on the forehead. "I love you." Finally I pulled back and took in his beauty. The look of devotion in his eyes made my heart melt into a puddle at the bottom of my chest. "I love you." I whispered one last time before kissing him on the mouth._

I pulled away from Klaus's wrist with force, all the while taking in his confused and surprised expression. There was fear in his eyes, and it was the first time I had ever seen him this unsettled.

"I knew blood-sharing could be intense, but–" He whispered with his heavy british accent. He had seen what I had seen. I knew it from the way his eyes were searching mine. There was more than fear in his expression; there was shock too.

"But what?" Marcel asked from behind Klaus. I didn't meet his eyes. I couldn't, not after what I had just shared with Klaus. I wondered if Klaus knew that he had seen the future. I certainly hoped he didn't. That would be a tough one to explain.

"Nothing." Klaus regained his usual cold mask and then turned to Marcel. "She's healed now." He said curtly as he got up from the bed and walked over to the doorway. Before he exited the room, however, he turned around and through me a glance. I couldn't tear my eyes away from his, and time seemed to stop. Then, he broke free from my gaze, and walked away. I was left with a very confused Marcel, but most of all; very confused feelings.

"What happened?" Marcel demanded as he made his way over to the bed. He tucked a strand of my hair behind my hair, exactly like Klaus had done in the vision. I recoiled immediately, my feelings still in a storm in my chest.

"Now, will you tell me what's been going on for the last three days?" I asked my boyfriend, and he sighed deeply.

* * *

"What the hell, Klaus?!" I screamed as I entered Rousseau's. It had been a wild guess that he'd be there, but it was where he and Marcel had started having all of their secret private making-out sessions. Okay, maybe not. But it surely seemed like that's what they were always doing. Klaus flashed me a grin and lifted his glass of Bourbon at me from at the bar.

"Hello, love. Missing me already?" He said as I grabbed him by his collar.

"Wow, your ego really _is_ big." I rolled my eyes. I had no idea what this courage came from. I was grabbing the most dangerous man on earth by his collar, threatening him. "What the hell did you do to Thierry?"

"What do you mean?" Klaus retorted with a suspicious look. Oh right, he didn't know that I knew that he had known about Thierry and Katie. Wow, good luck understanding that sentence.

"Sophie told me." I answered, wiping away his doubt. Klaus seemed amused by my anger, which of course only made me even more furious. "You framed him, you son of a–"

"You should point that finger at your precious boyfriend instead, love." Klaus argued, finally a hint of irritation in his voice. "After all, he was the one who sentenced dear Thierry to a hundred years imprisonment." He grinned at the last part, and I had to physically restrain myself from slapping it off his face.

"Oh, I've pointed my finger at him too, believe me." I retorted with a sarcastic chuckle. Actually, I'd been arguing with Marcel for the last half hour. "But _you_ had a part in this. I know it."

"Tell me then, love. Why haven't you told Marcel that I compelled one of his new vampires to do my bidding?" Klaus asked me, not shying away from my raging gaze.

"I– I…" I struggled to find an answer. Klaus slowly removed my hand from his collar with a vindictive smile.

"I know you saw what I saw when I healed you, love." He whispered, and my heart started beating rapidly in my chest. This was not the confrontation I had been ready for. "You feel something for me. You're clearly dreaming about me." _Crap._ I couldn't very well tell him that he was wrong, because that would mean revealing to him that I was psychic.

"You're right." I answered, looking deep into his eyes. Klaus looked baffled for a moment. "But they're not exactly positive feelings." I added with a smile.

"You're lying, love"

"I'm not."

"Yes you are. I can hear your heart beating like a drum in your chest, love." Klaus smirked at me as he leaned closer to me. "I make you nervous, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"You don't. I love Marcel." I told the hybrid, looking away from him.

"Do you?" He raised his brows at me with the same mocking grin. Those two simple words were charged with much more meaning. He was asking me if I _really_ loved Marcel. GOD, that man was self-oriented!

"Of course I do." I replied, and I meant it. "Sure, we fight a lot. But that doesn't mean I love him any less. Do I have to remind you that basically all of our fights are because of you? First you come waltzing into this town as if it is yours. And then you come around and try to woo me." I nearly clasped my hand to my mouth at the last part. I hadn't meant to say it out loud, but I had gotten caught up in my accusations.

"Woo you? What makes you so confident that I'm trying to woo you, love?" He was enjoying this alright.

"Oh, come on. The dancing, the constant flirting, yada yada." I crossed my arms, already tired of this conversation.

"I didn't know it was you I was dancing with, love." Klaus made his point by raising his glass at me with a wink of his eye.

"So you mean that you wouldn't have danced with me if you'd known who I was?"

"Why, does that thought upset you?"Klaus smirk. "You wanted to dance as me as much as I wanted to dance with you, love."

"UGH! You're insufferable!" I grunted before leaving him at the bar, slamming the door behind me. There was a limit to how long I could stand to be in that asshole's presence.

 **A/N: Hello! I just wanted to personally thank Anna B, a guest who reads this story, for always leaving me such nice comments! I love seeing your perspective on my story, and you've helped me a lot with your ideas :) Since you're a guest I can't reply to your reviews with PMs, so I thought that this would do fine! Thank you a lot, and please keep giving me your thoughts on my story :) 3**

 **\- Emma**


	14. Chapter 14:(I've Had)The Time Of My Life

_Juliette's POV_

"Thanks for letting me take the morning shift." I told Sophie Deveraux while cleaning the bar-counter. The sun was shining through the window, but it didn't lighten my mood very much.

"Nah, it's nothing. It's your birthday, after all." Sophie answered with a shrug, while tying on her apron. I groaned in response, following her into the kitchen. I wasn't very good at cooking, but I was hella talented at making beignets, so she would sometimes let me bake them while she made the other dishes.

"Don't remind me." I explained myself when the witch gave me a questioning look. Her brown eyes were as always lined with kohl, but her chocolate hair was tied up in a messy bun at the top of her head. "Boyfriend's being an ass. Did you know he wasn't even at home when I woke up? He left a silly note." Okay, this is a habit of mine. Sharing way too much about myself with people I don't know very well. But, I happened to be having a very crappy morning that day.

"Douche." Sophie shrugged, but something flashed by in her eyes. As if she knew something I didn't. I was about to ask her about it when something–or rather someone– interrupted my thoughts.

"Look who's here." A very familiar british voice exclaimed, setting in motion a chain of feelings in my heart. Dread. Panic. Anger. And something else I couldn't quite explain.

"Klaus. Always the pleasure." I replied, turning to face the smirking hybrid. His blue eyes were watching me with a mixture of fascination and calculation, and I willed my gaze to stop drifting to his lips and the dimples on his cheeks.

"What are you doing here, Klaus?" Sophie intervened, breaking the awkward silence. Klaus's attention turned to her, and the look in his eyes was replaced by anger.

"You and I have to talk." He growled through clenched teeth, and before I knew it, they were both gone. I opened my mouth to object out of pure surprise, but closed it again when my phone started ringing. The name on the screen made me do a double take. Should I answer it? I had made a vow to myself to forget my old life. It was probably the best for everyone. Yet some part of me made my fingers itch with the need to answer the call.

"Dad?" I asked into the phone, damning myself eternally when my voice cracked.

"Hi, sweetie." His rough voice replied in the other end. The little girl in me wanted to tear up at the sound of his voice, but I managed to calm my emotions. "Happy birthday."

"Why are you calling me?" I asked him, still telling myself to slow down my heartbeat. I leaned against the metal freezer for support. I wasn't really ready for this confrontation. "It's been three years."

"Well, you haven't exactly been answering our previous calls, have you?" Dad chuckled in the other end of the line, and I swallowed the lump in my throat. He was right. I hadn't. "Anyway, I called to tell you that something has happened." His voice was grave, which finally made my heart slow. Too much, I'm afraid. Frankly, I think it stopped.

"What? What happened?" My voice echoed through the phone, and I didn't even try to hide the fear and dread in my voice.

"Your mother had a car accident." My father replied, and I could literally feel the color drain from my face. "She came in this morning. The doctors said that she's stable, but she–" Dad turned silent.

"She's in a coma." He finally said, and I could hear the heaviness in his voice. I took a deep breath, gathering my feelings.

"Uhm– Thanks." I replied slowly, trying to get my thoughts clear. _My mother is in a coma. She might not wake up._ "Thanks for telling me."

"Will you come back?" Dad sounded like a child when he said that phrase. The hope in his voice made my heart ache, especially because I knew that what I was going to answer.

"I– I don't know." I said. "I don't know if I can escape work. But please keep me updated on what's going on."

"Alright."

"Guess that's a goodbye, then."

"Goodbye, honey." His voice was filled with disappointment. Oh, how many times had I not heard that disappointment? It reminded why I wasn't determined to get back to Mystic Falls anytime soon. Even though my mother was comatose. It's not like she would have done the same for me.

* * *

 _Third person point of view_

Klaus could still remember the way Juliette had looked at him in the dream when he had given her his blood. It had to have been a dream. What else could it be? But it had felt too real. He had roamed this earth for a very long time now, but he had never felt something like it before. But, in his never-ending curiousness, Klaus decided to pay his favorite little witch a visit.

"I have never heard of something like it. This was only hypothetical, right?" Sophie Deveraux raised her brows at him with disbelief, and Klaus replied with a wide smile knotting his hands together on his desk.

"Of course." He replied. He couldn't have Sophie knowing about Juliette, could he? Whatever she was, that fascinating little vampire.

"Well, hypothetically, I would say that this person is some kind of witch." Sophie explained with an annoyed yet intrigued look. It amused Klaus how she was in fact paying for bringing him to this city by doing his bidding. She knew that he could very well drain her and compel her to do his bidding if she refused to help him. And besides, he had nothing to do for the September morning. _A witch._ No, Juliette couldn't be a witch. Witches didn't keep their powers if they became vampires.

"And if this person happens to be a vampire?" Klaus asked the witch with a frown, leaning forward in his chair. He could sense how tense Sophie was from being in his office, completely unprotected.

"It's not possible." She shook her head in response, looking at Klaus with a puzzled expression. The hybrid clenched his jaw in frustration but gathered himself. Sophie was under the impression that this was only a hypothetical question. He then looked up at her with a careless expression, and gave her a quick wave of his hand.

"Well, off you go, then."

"What? This was what you brought me here for?" The dark haired witch exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Yes, and you have been of no help for me. Rebekah will see you back to the Quarter." Klaus shrugged, before opening the book in front of him. It was Elijah's, and it was about witchcraft. Perhaps it would be of better use for him than this idle witch.

"Wha–" Sophie started, but Klaus met her gaze with a stern glare. She swallowed her words and got up, silently walking out of his office.

"Alright." Klaus muttered to himself as he started flipping the pages of the yellowing book. _Projecting powers._ Exactly what he was looking for. With a pleased smile, the Original Hybrid started reading the first paragraph. After about five minutes of restless searching, he shut the book with frustration. There was a lot of information about projecting, but only the power that witches possess. Then again, Klaus was also aware of the fact that vampires had the ability to project dreams and such. But he was fairly certain that Juliette hadn't wanted him to see what he saw. Yet still… It had been so real. He had felt those things from the dream, or whatever it was. Of course, Klaus had been fascinated by the baby vampire from the moment he laid eyes on her, but he had his reasons for that. She was close to Marcel. If he wanted to get to Marcel, she was the key. He knew that by slowly turning the two of them against each other, he was slowly weakening Marcel.

But besides meaningless, nonetheless enjoyable, flirting with Juliette, Klaus had never anticipated that he would feel the things he had felt in the dream. It was stronger than anything he had ever felt before. And when Juliette had confronted him about Thierry in the bar later, he hadn't been able to tear his eyes away from her lips. The memory about how sweet they had tasted against his was still burning fresh in his memory, just like the way she had looked at him as if he was more than–

"BEEEP BEEP BEEP!" The sound of Klaus's annoying ringtone awoke him from his daze and he picked up his phone.

"Marcel. Bit early in the day for you, isn't it?" He spoke into the device, smirking.

"I know, I make this look easy, but I still have an empire to run." _Don't worry mate, the empire won't be yours for long,_ Klaus thought with slyness.

"Rather you than me. All that responsibility seems like such a _bore_." He said instead, chuckling silently for himself. Marcel sighed at the other end of the line, evidently tired of all the planning.

"Well, this might spice things up- I just heard about a bunch of dead witches out in the Bayou. The kinda damage a werewolf might do, only there was no full moon. I have an informant out there I need to meet, and I would love for you to go with me." Klaus looked down at the withering old book in front of him, suppressing a sigh. Gathering information from Marcel sounded more enjoyable than searching for meaningless intel on his friend's girlfriend in this ancient book.

"Dead witches in the Bayou. Sounds like less of a problem, and more like a cause for celebration." He told his friend with a smile.

"Well, something killed them. And may still be out there. And with your blood the only cure for a werewolf bite, I would love for you to accompany me." MArcel argued, and Klaus got a brilliant idea. If he went with Marcel, he could not only stop him from investigating more into the witches pursuing Hayley, but also ask him about Juliette's "special power".

"Oh, why not? Haven't been to the Bayou in ages. I'm on my way."

"Peace out, brother." Marcel answered before hanging up.

* * *

 _Juliette's POV_

I'd like to say that I didn't stomp angrily all the way to St Anne's church that morning, but that would'be been a lie. The anger that had been building up inside of me lately was boiling under my skin, and the unexpected phone call from my dad earlier had not helped.

"Here to see your prisoner again?" Father Kieran was sweeping the floor, looking at me with the same contained anger as always. He tolerated us vampires, but that's all.

"Hello to you too, Father Kieran." I replied with a roll of my eyes, aiming to walk by him. However, he stepped in before me and held my gaze sternly.

"I don't like what you and your friends are doing to my church. Too many atrocious memories in this place already; don't make more." He warned me. Father Kieran looked as if he was about forty or fifty years old, perhaps even older. His eyes were lined with tiredness, but there was a reason why. He had great power and responsibility as the representing human of New Orleans.

"Why would Da– Whatever is going on in the attic do any harm to the church?" I replied with a frown. I stopped myself before uttering Davina's name. My contact with Marcel hadn't exactly been great lately, and I had no idea if Father Kieran knew about her. After all, he had only come back to New Orleans a few days ago.

"You know very well that I'm not talking about that, Juliette." His voice was steady and calm, even though he was face-to-face with a quite young vampire. Then again, I was quite good at maintaining my hunger.

"Okay–" I started, but I was interrupted by the priest. He held up a finger at me while starting to sweep again.

"Tell Marcel I need to speak with him." He said curtly, and I got the feeling that the conversation was over. So I left him there in the middle of the isle with a quick nod, but my mind was spinning with a thousand thoughts. Had something happened here while I had been kidnapped?

I stopped abruptly in the wooden stairs to the attic. I was quite certain that I had heard a man's voice from the room above. But as I listened closely with my vampire hearing, there was no sound at all. Strange. It couldn't be Marcel either. He had gone on a date with Klaus to the Bayou. _On my birthday._ I swallowed the anger and swung the door to the attic open. I was met with a Davina that was looking a bit _too_ still. As if she'd known that I would come. Nevertheless, her eyes widened at the sight of me and she jumped on me to engulf me in a hug.

"Are you okay?" She said as she pulled back again, and I responded with a puzzled expression. Then it dawned down on me. _Right._ I had been kidnapped, and that was probably what she was referring to.

"Yeah. Minor werewolf bite, but Klaus healed me." I sighed, fighting back the blush rising to my cheeks. I would _not_ think about that memory now.

"He did? Why?" Her confused voice echoed in my ears, and I found myself wondering the same thing.

"I don't know, but I feel a strange connection to him… I can't put it in words. Anyway, he saved my life. I assume I should be thankful."

"But–Who were they?" Davina asked urgently as I seated myself down on the chair in front of her mirror. "How did you get away?" I turned around and faced the girl who I had come to see as my little sister.

"That's a long story. I'll tell you another time. Now, will you tell me why your eyes keep flickering to behind the curtain over there?"

"What do you mean?" Davina replied, but her eyes instinctively flickered to the drapes in the corner of the small attic. I crossed my arms and gave her a slight scowl.

"Don't try and lie to me, D. I know you well enough to know when you're lying." I argued, and Davina let out a sigh.

"You can come out." She called out to the curtain, and a man stepped out. A man whose memories I had seen.

"Elijah Mikaelson." I said with a smile. I wondered if he knew that I had been into his head. Hopefully not.

"I hear my brother has a soft spot for you. Juliette, is it?" The Original asked me, holding out his hand in a polite manner. Hey, I already liked this man more than Klaus.

"Yes." I replied, taking in the sight before me. You could guess that Elijah was an honorable man just from the way he held himself. He held his chin high, and was straightening his tie. He looked older than Klaus, but only slightly. What really stood out were how his brown eyes were watching me calmly. Not in the same manipulative and calculating way as Klaus's did, but with curiosity. "And I hear you're supposed to be the honorable brother." I added, and Elijah's lips turned up at the corners.

"I'd like to think that, yes." He said while absently fiddling with the hems of his suit. Davina suddenly clasped her hand on her mouth, watching me with wide eyes.

"Oh my God! It's your birthday! I had totally forgotten." She exclaimed, and I shook my head at her sillyness.

"It's alright. You're not exactly the first one who has forgotten it." I replied, and I could see the understanding in Davina's eyes.

"I'm so sorry." She said. "Let me make it up for you. We could–"

"Actually, I have something else in mind." I interrupted her with a small smile. "You can make it up to me by accompanying me to Cafe Du Monde. I've got a lot to tell you."

"But the witches, they'll–"

"Just do a cloaking spell." I shrugged. Elijah cleared his throat, and I jumped in surprise. I had forgotten he was there. "I'd ask you to join too, but I doubt you want to know about my boyfriend trouble." A flash of humor flashed across the Original's warm eyes.

"No one's supposed to know I'm awake." He answered with a small smile tugging on his lips. "Not even your dear Marcel."

"Well, lucky for you, I happen to be quite angry at my 'dear Marcel' right now. Your secret is safe with me." I winked, and was rewarded with an unreadable expression.

"I'd love to go to the cafe, Juliette, but actually, Elijah and I have some talking left. Maybe later?" Davina then broke the silence, and disappointment filled my heart. Of course she couldn't make time for me either. First Marcel, now Davina.

"Sure. I'll be at the bar. Drinking." I rolled my eyes before making my way to the door. "It was nice to meet you, Elijah." I said.

"Likewise." The man bowed his head to me gently before I exited the attic. Melodramatic? Yes. But here's my day so far; Woke up with only a note on the empty bed. Went down to the courtyard, but it was completely empty. Was reminded that Thierry was locked up in the garden. Went to work, only to receive a call from my father who I hadn't spoken to in years. Found out that my mother is possibly dying. On my birthday. Went to my best friend and sister, only to find out that she was keeping things from me. And that she had no time for me. She'd rather chat with Elijah Mikaelson. Ugh.

* * *

I'd never really liked the taste of alcohol. To me, it always tasted like hand-sanitizer. Wine, whiskey, vodka. To me they all had the same bitter taste. However, what I _did_ like, was how it numbed my emotions. But to my great dismay, being a vampire I had to drink a lot more to actually get drunk.

"Bad day?" Cami asked me after pouring my fifth drink. And I was still just a little bit tipsy.

"You could say that. You're actually the only one who remembered my birthday." I muttered, taking a swig from the glass, swallowing the bitter liquid before the taste could fill my mouth.

"Really? Prince charming didn't remember?" The blonde bartender raised her brows in surprise while cleaning the counter. The customers hadn't started coming in yet, which seemed kind of strange. It was already six o'clock. People usually came here for dinner around this time.

"'Prince charming' hasn't been that charming lately." I said with a sigh, before looking up at Cami's wise eyes. "If someone in your family you really don't like was in a coma, would you go and visit them? Even if you never wanted to return to that town ever again?" Okay, I'm aware that I made literally no sense. Had I been less drunk, I might have seen the flash of pain in Cami's eyes, and the realization that I was talking about myself hit her.

"Yes, I would. Maybe you don't have the best relationship with that person now, but you're gonna regret it if something happens." She explained slowly. That made sense. "If that person dies, you will never forgive yourself for not being there for them." Her voice had taken a bitter turn, and she turned away from me.

"I–" I started, but I stopped in mid-motion.

"SURPRISE!" Multiple voices shouted out all at once as people started jumping up all around me. Hold-up. Had I been so drunk that I hadn't noticed people around me starting to hide? However, I could barely hold myself from starting to laugh when I noticed they were all wearing party hats.

"Juliette Walters!" Marcel's voice echoed loudly from across the room, and I took in the sight of him while trying to stifle my laugh. He was standing on the stage with a microphone in his hand, his blue party hat nearly falling down from his head as he beamed at me. I turned around in my seat completely to face him. "This song's for you, baby." He grinned, and my heart jumped with anticipation. He rarely sung for _me_.

" _ **Now I've had the time of my life,**_ " He started as someone lowered the lights of the bar, only leaving a couple of spotlights on Marcel. I couldn't hide my laughter as I recognized the song. He knew that my favorite movie was dirty dancing. A bit embarrassing, I know, but who doesn't love Patrick Swayze in tight shirts?

" _ **No I never felt like this before**_

 _ **Yes I swear it's the truth**_

 _ **and I owe it all to you"**_ Marcel slowed down, grinning directly at me. When he beckoned me with his finger, it felt like my heart would explode. "Join me." He called out, and I did as he said. It was after all a duet. I ran to the stage and climbed up, grabbing the mic that Cami managed to pass me.

" _ **Cause I've had the time of my life**_

 _ **and I owe it all to you.**_ " I sang, and the music kicked in. I moved closer to Marcel as I sang, not leaving his gaze. God, this man had a way of wooing me, even if I was completely furious at him.

" **I've been waiting for so long**

 **Now I've finally found someone**

 **To stand by me."** His voice was deep and beautiful as always, and I had a flashback to the first time I heard him sing three years ago. I had barely been able to contain my feelings for him. I felt the exact same way now. As we sang together, I forgot everything. I forgot about my mother, about Davina, about Thierry. I even forgot about the kidnappers who were undoubtedly lurking at the corner of the bar to capture me again. In my world, there was only Marcel and I.

" _ **I've had the time of my life**_

 _ **No I never felt this way before**_

 _ **Yes I swear it's the truth**_

 _ **And I owe it all to you**_

 _ **'Cause I've had the time of my life**_

 _ **And I've searched through every open door**_

 _ **'Til I found the truth**_

 _ **And I owe it all to you."**_ We sang the last chorus and I lowered my mic, smiling at my boyfriend with all the love I head. Perhaps he _was_ Prince Charming after all.

"Happy birthday." Marcel whispered, just for me to hear. I reached up and placed a soft kiss on his mouth.

"I love you." I answered.

* * *

The party was amazing, but I was way too drunk to stay in there for more than an hour. After Marcel had explained everything about how he had organized this for days and that Davina knew, I told him I needed to get some fresh air. He let me go and resorted to engage in a conversation with Diego.

The night air was indeed fresh. It was crisp cold, actually, and I found myself happy that I had my warm leather jacket. As I exited Rousseau's, I noticed that there were stands with street painters on the big road in front of me. I crossed the paved way and walked up to the painting that caught my attention. It was quite a small painting of a busy street, specked with colors like rust gold, indigo and white. Something about it was so raw and beautiful, as if the painter had put their soul in it.

"Do you like it?" Once again, I should have heard Klaus coming. Of course I didn't. And I had been wondering why I got kidnapped… I looked up at the Original Hybrid with a small smile.

"I love it. I don't know why… It just speaks to me." I replied, turning my attention back to the painting. I felt Klaus chuckle next to me, and I could imagine how his dimples were showing in his smile. "It's filled with so much sadness. The way it's raining… The street is completely empty, except for the streetlights. Makes me think of loneliness. Don't you think?" I asked Klaus absently, but he didn't answer. When I finally looked up at him, I found he was watching me silently.

"Or maybe I'm completely wrong." I said, feeling a blush on my cheeks. I bit my lip before looking away. Why was Klaus's presence suddenly so intimidating? Perhaps because he probably thought that I dreamed of him, judging by his reaction to my vision.

"Oh no, I think you're right, love." Klaus suddenly replied, tearing his eyes away from me and to the painting. "More right than you might think." His arm brushed mine on my left side, and a shiver ran down my spine. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the night air. "It's yours."

"What?" I exclaimed, turning around to raise my brows at him.

"I happen to know the artist." Klaus smirked at me, his blue eyes showing nothing more than genuine kindness. "Consider it a birthday gift." My gaze flickered back to the painting.

"I can't accept that–" I said as turned around to Klaus again, only to find that he was gone. "Of course." I muttered to myself with a roll of my eyes. However, as I picked up the painting from the easel, I felt no bitterness at all. On the contrary, my heart was beating like a drum in my chest. Why would Klaus give me a birthday gift? It wasn't as if we knew each other very well… Perhaps he just wanted to be nice.

* * *

The town was eerily silent when I entered it. I willed myself not to look at the familiar buildings, at the familiar streets. I had chosen to come at night, because it diminished the risk of someone seeing me. It would lead to a whole lot of questions, and I was not ready to answer them.

"I'm going to regret this tomorrow." I muttered as I entered the big building, looking down at my muddy shoes. I had vamp-sped all the way here, which I was sure I would regret later. Even though vampire speeding is a great way to travel, it's also extremely exhausting for the muscles. Lucky for me, it's usually not noticeable until the day after.

"We're closed for visitors." The receptionist said as I walk up to him. I grabbe his stubby chin in my hand and forced him to look into my eyes.

"I'm a special visitor. Let me in." I compelled him, watching his pupils dilate. "And also, in which room is Suzanne Walters?"

"She's in room 202, on the second floor." The receptionist answered in his daze, and I let him go. He slumped back into his chair with a loud thump. I was amazed by the fact that the chair didn't break; The man had a lot of weight on him. Without looking back, I went to the elevators and pressed the button to the second floor. I could have sped up the stairs, but if someone had seen me, I would've had to compel them.

Room number 202 was quite a big room, with large windows and even a vase of flowers on a small table. I guess you get better service if you're the principal to the town's school. In the center of the room, however, my mother was laying in a big bed. Tubes filled with running liquids ran from her arm to a beeping machine, and my heart instantly felt ten times heavier. I dared to take a few steps closer to my mother, stopping right next to her. From up close I could see the bruises and cuts on the right side of her face, and there were casts on both of her legs.

"How could you survive?" I whispered, barely audible. I almost expected her eyes to open and scowl at me for breaking into a hospital, but her dark eyelashes rested still on her cheekbones, her pale lips showing no sign of movement. "I'm so sorry, mom. I'm sorry for leaving. I should have explained."

"I don't want you to die. Chad needs you. Dad needs you." I couldn't say that I needed her. That would've been a lie. "Please survive. Please wake up." I reached out a hand to brush it against her cheek, but stopped myself when I realized what might happen. I might get a vision of her future.

There was some temptation in finding out if she would die or survive, but I didn't want to know. What would I do if I saw her dying? Just forget it and move on? No, it wasn't worth it. So instead of kissing my unconscious mom on her forehead and telling her I love her and miss her like a normal daughter would do, I stood up and left her without another word.

 **A/N: Hi! Emma here! I just wanted to remind you to please comment and tell me what you think of this story 3 Thanks :D 3**


	15. Chapter 15: When We Were Young

_Third person point of view_

"You were right. She _is_ in league with Klaus." Rachel Vaughan slumped down next to her friend on the big leather couch. Sofia clenched her jaw and looked away. She had suddenly gotten an urge to rip her heart out; it had once again involuntarily jumped at his name. _Niklaus Mikaelson._ She hadn't seen him in at least 600 years, yet the thought of him and his blue gaze made a shiver run down her spine.

"What are we even doing here?" Sofia finally said, changing the subject. She didn't feel like talking about Klaus; It was still a sensitive matter between her and her friend. She straightened her back and reached for the glass of water on the glass table. Rachel rolled her eyes at her, taking a sip of her own glass. Only it wasn't filled with water, but a rich golden liquid. "Do we even know what she is?"

Rachel sighed and stood up, taking three long steps to the drink-table. Her short leather skirt was slipping up her thighs, so the pink haired vampire dragged it down again with an annoyed glare. Sofia turned her eyes to the large room, her eyes adjusting to the sunlight. She had only had her daylight ring for about a hundred years, but she still didn't like the intrusive light.

The apartment they had compelled themselves was actually quite nice, Sofia had to admit, but it was only because Rachel had refused to give up until they found the perfect apartment. They had had to compel some poor millionaire to take a sudden vacation to Ibiza to inhabit his home, but as always, Sofia didn't feel at home. There was only one place where she felt at home, and that was in Brighton.

" _So you mean to tell me that you can save my life by making me into some sort of beast?" Sofia echoed, looking at the mysterious man beside her. It had taking some arguing from his part to get her to accompany him on a walk, and she had nearly run away when he had told her about vampires._

" _A vampire." Klaus explained, glancing at her. Sofia felt his burning gaze as a kiss of heat against her skin, but she willed herself not to look at him. She had noticed the second he had addressed her that he was a beautiful man, but she would not be fooled. The tales said that the Devil had been beautiful too._

" _So, technically, a beast." She said stubbornly, feeling Klaus's arm vibrate against hers as he chuckled._

" _Alright." He finally said, his thick british accent rolling of his tongue beautifully. People were glancing at them as they passed them on the street; Sofia, a dirty peasant girl, and Klaus, a well-dressed nobleman. Yet Klaus treated her as if she were as noble as him._

" _What do you want in return?" Sofia asked him, and then stopped to let out a long cough. She had gotten used to the feeling of burning acid in her lungs by then, and the way people glared and recoiled from her when they saw the blood in her hands afterwards. She knew that she didn't have long until she was going to die, but still she fought on. She would not live the rest of her days as a cripple._

" _All I want in return is your service. You see, I need protection from someone who is hunting me." He explained, and Sofia took a deep breath, weighing her option. She could become a blood-sucking beast who fed off of humans and be in debt to a seemingly very powerful man, or she could live a week or so longer._

" _I will have to think about it." She finally said, stopping on the sidewalk. Klaus stopped as well, lowering his gaze to meet hers. With one swift and tender motion, he grabbed her hand and placed a soft kiss to it. His perfectly shaped pout turned into a seductive smile, and this time Sofia couldn't hide her blush._

" _I hope you will consider my suggestion. I would very much like to get to know you better, miss." He spoke softly, not leaving her gaze with his enticing blue eyes. Sofia gulped._

Damn it. She had thought about him again. Then she reminded herself to think about what he did to her, and that took her back to reality.

"No, we don't know what she is yet. All we know is that she is useful to us." Rachel said from the bar counter, taking a sip from her now full glass.

"At least she's good leverage."

"Do you think _she_ will accept our deal?" Rachel asked, her voice filled with uncertainty.

"We won't know until we try."

* * *

 _Juliette's point of view_

I was changing into my nightgown when Marcel barged into our bedroom, that same night. It was late, _very_ late. I had after all had the time to go to Mystic Falls and back, and then managed to get a shower to hide all the traces of mud.

"How did it go?" I asked him, turning to meet his face. He stopped in his pacing and rubbed his chin with his hand.

"I couldn't move her. As we were about to leave the church, it started shaking and she passed out. Told me something was wrong out there." Marcel sighed, and I took a few steps toward him slowly. I could sense his anger and worry radiate off of him. "I thought it was safe to move her here, but apparently I was wrong."

"Marcel." I spoke softly, putting my hand against his cheek. "As much as I would like for Davina to stay with us, I want her to be safe. It's not your fault that the witches are after her." Marcel responded by putting his hand on my hand, and then removing it softly.

"I know, but… Sometimes I wish this burden wouldn't be on me." He shook his head, and my heart hurt for him. "Anyway, I'm going to take a shower to cool off a bit."

"I–" I started, but Marcel was already leaving the room. I turned around and looked at the untouched bed, feeling the cold breeze brush my skin. I shuddered and crept into the bed, only to realize that I couldn't hear the shower tap. Strange. The bathroom was just beside the bedroom, and it always bothered my sensitive hearing when Marcel took a shower late at night. With a frown, I turned on my vampire hearing.

" _Oh if you were so strong, you wouldn't have run away from New Orleans like a little bitch all those years ago."_ Oh Crap, I thought, before speeding into the court.

I jumped at Klaus right after he had punched Marcel, knocking him to the ground. As I straddled the hybrid's chest, I became acutely aware of his eyes travelling down to the cleavage of my revealing nightgown. I rolled my eyes and grabbed him by the collar, sneering at him.

"1. Don't you ever touch him again." I growled through my teeth. "2. My eyes are up here, you dick." Klaus finally looked me into the eyes and sent me flying away with a single push. I crashed into the brick wall, too shocked by the sudden movement to stand up directly.

"You've been playing king with a bunch of children for too long. Don't mistake me for one of your nightwalker lackeys, Marcel." Klaus snarled, his attention back to Marcel. I stood up and brushed the dirt off my short nightdress, before turning to him with a glare. "I can take Davina anytime I like."

"Oh no you won't." I roared, stomping up to the insufferable man. Klaus's eyes narrowed as he clenched his jaw at me.

"What are you going to do then? Vision me away?" He taunted, his lips erupting into a wide mocking grin. I recoiled in pure instinct, realizing what the hell I had gotten myself into. He could kill me right this second of he wanted to. Or he could kidnap me and use my powers. Holy shit.

"I don't know–" I started, but Klaus let out a very sarcastic chuckle. Meanwhile, I felt Marcel slowly join my side, his presence a comforting shield.

"Yes, I do know about the visions, love. It took me a while to put two and two together, of course, but perhaps the reason I couldn't find any answers if because there aren't any answers." Klaus exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air with a maniacal laugh. I was starting to see the whole evil-thing now. "You don't know what you are either."

"I may not know what I am, but I know who I am." I growled. And voilà, there's the courage again, coming up from nowhere. You'd never think I would be putting my life at risk these many times under the course of an hour, but surprise, surprise. "I am Juliette Walters, and you will _never_ use me as your weapon." Klaus smirked at me wickedly, and sped over to me. However, he was stopped in mid-action.

"Do forgive me, brother." Elijah Mikaelson released his brother before readjusting his sleeves again. I breathed out in relief. "I believe I cannot let you touch her."

* * *

"That was incredibly stupid." Marcel said as we entered our bedroom again. I rolled my eyes before turning around and facing him.

"What, so when you defend me you're my hero, but when I defend you I'm stupid?" I raised my brows at him as he pulled his shirt over his head. Some guy was shouting drunkenly outside our window, so I walked over and shut the glass doors to the balcony.

"You know what I meant." Marcel replied with a smile, and I breathed out. "You tried to go against an Original, Julie."

"You seem to have forgotten who was provoking said Original in the first place, Mister." I argued as Marcel walked closer to me.

"Alright, alright. We were both stupid." He said and placed a soft kiss on my mouth. The familiar feeling of my vision getting blurry washed over me and my heart started beating frantically. Oh God no. If the vision hit me when I was kissing Marcel, it could only mean one thing. It was about him.

 _Marcel was standing on a bridge, a small bottle in his hand, filled with a red liquid. Opposite of him stood Klaus, and behind him, Elijah. And then, me. Oh God, how strange to see myself in third person._

" _Marcel, come on. This is not you." The other Juliette (let's just call her future Juliette) said, but I knew that it was the wrong thing to say. That Juliette didn't seem to know Marcel at all. He hated when people told him that._

" _You don't know a thing about me, Juliette. The only person who really knew me is gone. Because of him." Marcel motioned to Klaus, and my blood ran cold. What had happened? Who was gone? "You loved her too. Yet now you're standing there, defending him."_

" _Don't make me the bad guy in this, Marcel. We both know who the real bad guy was, and you're following his path." Future Juliette shot out, angry at the accusation. She looked furious, and I was actually quite proud of my future self. Even though she was standing with Klaus and not with Marcel._

" _Maybe he was right. Maybe Klaus needs someone to take down his ego." Marcel shot back at her, and Future Juliette let out a low growl._

" _Give it to me now. I won't ask you again, Marcellus." Elijah said, looking tired from all of the fighting. I was curious to know what was so special about the vial in Marcel's hands. All I could figure out was that it was extremely powerful, and Marcel was holding it. A strange Marcel that I didn't recognize. His smiling eyes were deprived of all warmth._

" _My name is Marcel, and I'm not giving you a damn thing." He said, his voice thick with rage._

" _I can't allow you the means to destroy my family." Klaus replied, and the puzzle pieces started falling together. If Marcel did something with that vial, Klaus's family would be in danger. So they were trying to stop Marcel to save themselves. Again. Those excruciatingly annoying Originals. Why was I standing with them if Marcel had the power?_

" _YOUR family. Right, thank you."_

" _Klaus, Marcel will betray us. I saw it with my own eyes." Elijah argued, seeing Klaus's determination waver. Future Juliette was standing motionless between Klaus and Marcel, staring at the latter intently._

" _I will betray you? I asked, begged, for your help, and you left Davina to rot." If I would've been alive, I would have gasped. Oh no. Oh God no. Please don't let Davina be the one that Marcel had lost._

" _They didn't do that Marcel! We will find a way to get her back." Future Juliette exclaimed desperately, and I could see it in her eyes now. The emptiness. The loss. The grief._

" _It's too late now." Marcel screamed._

" _This is the ancestors' fault!" Juliette argued, and Marcel let out a sarcastic laugh._

" _Yeah. With Klaus it's always somebody else's fault." He growled through his teeth. "After all, that is the Mikaelson way, right? Kill, maim, torture. All in the name of family. Always and forever. I used to admire that vow. It gave me back the thing that had been beaten out of me. Faith in those you love." He was close to crying now, and my heart felt heavy in my chest._

" _I was a fool. Always and forever is just an excuse. To do whatever the hell you want. Maybe it's time for someone to put an end to that." Marcel added with a sneer. Future Juliette exchanged a panicked look with Elijah, who addressed Marcel._

" _You are trading very close to a dangerous decision." He warned. "I'm asking you to choose wisely."_

" _Fair enough." Marcel stated, and took a sip of the serum. Instantly, Klaus tried to stop him, but Marcel sent him flying. "YOU CAN'T STOP ME, KLAUS!"_

" _I only meant to keep you from crossing a line you would most certainly regret!" Klaus defended himself angrily._

" _No, you meant to keep your precious upper hand! Don't you get it? Whatever I have to do, Klaus, I will find a way to hurt you!" Marcel replied, and Future Juliette instinctively took a step closer to Klaus, as if to protect him. Oh God, I was ashamed of my future self._

" _You will never be safe, as long as I'm alive. You can call me family all you want, but I am done being your friend." Marcel pushed past Future Juliette and grabbed Klaus by his collar. "From this day forward, I'm nothing less than your worst–" A cracking sound was heard, and I saw Elijah standing behind Marcel. Shock filled my whole body as Elijah ripped Marcel's heart out, and Future Juliette screamed out in despair. Marcel's body fell into the river, and Future Juliette fell to the ground._

" _What– What did you do, Elijah?" She managed to get out between sobs. My vision blurred._

"Baby? Are you alright?" Marcel asked me in present time, and I couldn't help the tears forming in my eyes at seeing him. I was back in his arms in our bedroom, and he was alive and well.

"I'm fine, I'm just in shock from the thing with Klaus." I replied, wiping my tears away. Marcel leaned down to press a kiss to my forehead, and I could almost hear my heart tearing apart.

"It's alright. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere." Marcel whispered against my hair, and I hugged him as tight as I could, never wanting him to let go. Because now I knew that if he did, he would die.

* * *

"Thierry?" I shouted out when I entered the dark prison that was The Garden. There were hundreds of vampires locked up in there, how was I supposed to find Thierry? When there was no answer, I realized with a groan that I would have to actually search every desiccating vampire to find my friend.

"There you are. You couldn't have said something?" I was in luck, Thierry had been right in front of me. He was bricked into the wall, but his face was visible. He managed to glare at me, at least. With a last longing look at my pretty nails, I started tearing apart the brick wall. When I was done, my nails were completely massacred. Thierry nearly fell out on top of me, but I managed to hold him up.

"Want some blood?" I gave him a bloodbag from my leather bag, and he ripped it open within a second. I mourned my manicure as he swallowed it.

"What are you doing here, Juliette?" I looked up at him to meet his frown.

"I was eating breakfast this morning and I felt lonely. I then realized that I kind of missed that annoying ass of yours so I thought; Hey, why not go on a rescue mission today? And then that brought me here." I explained. "How has your day been?" I flashed him a grin, and he replied with a glare.

"Has Marcel pardoned me?" He asked me, looking rather innocent. I shook my head.

"Nope."

"Does Marcel know that you're here?" Thierry inquired, holding my gaze. I shook my head once more, and he let out a frustrated sigh.

"Damn it, Juliette! You always do these crazy things! How do you think Marcel's going to react when he finds me up and running?" He exclaimed, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Well, I've got proof that you're innocent." I said, and Thierry froze. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Then why haven't you come earlier?" He asked me, irritation seeping into his voice.

"I'm sorry, Mister, but I've had other things on my mind." I replied. "I was kidnapped, and then it was my birthday, and then I was attacked by Klaus…"

"Are you seriously telling me that I've been locked up here for days because _you haven't had the time to tell Marcel I'm innocent?!"_ Thierry's voice escalated from a mere mutter to shouting through that sentence, and anger seeped into my blood.

"Don't be such a drama queen. It's not as if you were dying. You should be thankful, really. I could've left your annoying ass in here." I argued with a shrug. Thierry was now sneering, breathing harshly through his clenched teeth. "Anyway, wanna get lunch? I have your ring too."

"God, I hate you, Juliette Walters." Thierry replied, but followed me out of the prison.

"If you wanna insult me, you've got to do better than that, honey." I said as we walked out into the sunlight. "Pizza?"

* * *

 _Third person POV_

"So, what's the plan?" Rachel asked Sofia, who was happily eating a cone of vanilla ice-cream at the little café.

"We call _her_ and tell her that we have something for her." Sofia said, stopping her eating momentarily. Rachel gave her an annoyed look before taking a sip of her lemonade.

"That would mean that we have something to give her, pillock." She muttered, before looking at the pizza place across the street. "Which we don't."

"Then why don't we just kidnap her?" Sofia asked her, and Rachel's eyes fastened on the blonde on the opposite side of the street. She was eating with a man wearing a beret, and the old vampire raised her brows. She was under the impression that the girl was Marcel Gerard's sweetheart. Perhaps she was playing him. Then again, she seemed to have Klaus under her spell too. Rachel shuddered involuntarily as she thought of his name; A fragment of a memory flashed by her eyes.

"Well, that went well the last time." Rachel looked back at her friend, who had finished her ice-cream.

"What about we don't let two idiots guard her this time? Who's idea was it to use werewolves, by the way?" Sofia raised her brows at Rachel in triumph, and the latter stuck her tongue out.

"The bite should have killed her, mind you."

"Yes, but Klaus seems set on keeping her alive." Sofia argued, and Rachel's heart once again skipped a beat. That man… He had affected her in so many ways that she would rather forget. Yet he was in every single one of her breaths, day and night. Haunting her, teasing her.

"He will be a problem." Rachel acknowledged, watching Juliette and her friend laugh together across the street.

"Maybe we should wait until he falls in love with her, and then we kill her in front of him instead." Sofia suggested with a smile, and Rachel let out a chuckle.

"You're evil."

"I know."

"Sadly, that will not make us stop being hunted. We have no choice but to give Juliette Walters over." Rachel finished her lemonade and kept her eyes on the blonde, making sure that she wasn't running away. "If we're lucky she might have time to read our future before _she_ arrives."

"True." Sofia shrugged, looking at Juliette across the street. "Shall we get it over with, then? Klaus is nowhere in sight."

"Why not?" Rachel flashed her friend a wicked grin before they attacked the blonde.


	16. Chapter 16: Yesterday

Juliette's POV

I just had the time to see them before the weight of Sofia hit me in the chest. However, I had learned to watch my back by then. Before she had the time to grab a hold of me, and speed away from there, I kicked her in the gut. I barely had the time to see Rachel pinning Thierry to the ground before I sped away from the scene, making a mental note to apologize to Thierry later. Then again, they wouldn't hurt him. It was me they were after. That gave me the right to leave him, right? Let's just say that.

"Whoah." While trying to speed away from the two batshit crazy vampires, I had run straight into someone. A someone with a familiar sideways smirk and annoyingly perfect british accent. "Here I am simply taking a walk in the sunlight, and I get attacked." Klaus exclaimed with a fake wounded expression. I took a step back, watching behind my shoulder. No Sofia or Rachel in sight. Strange. They should have been faster than me. Then again, perhaps they didn't want to risk their chances with the Original Hybrid.

"I'm kind of in a hurry, so if you would just excuse me…" I started, trying to walk past him. The memory of Klaus practically threatening to take my life was still very clear in my mind. He knew about my powers. The hybrid stepped sideways to block my path.

"What for, love?" He asked curiously, and I wanted to punch him in the face. He didn't have the right to call me love after the events of the previous night. I stopped, and idea hitting me like a brick wall. The second I had run into Klaus, Sofia and Rachel had stopped following me. Perhaps the safest thing would be to stay near him. Haha, you never thought you'd hear that, did you?

"Nothing, I was just trying to find a café. I'm in desperate need of a coffee." I said, crossing my arms, trying my best not to look too stressed. I could see in the way Klaus raised his brows at me that he didn't believe me, but I didn't have much choice but to lie.

"How fitting. I happen to be looking for a café as well." His contempt smile made it very hard not to punch him. _As if._ He had probably been stalking me.

"Great." I said, giving him an awkward thumbs up. With a small smile, I tried moving past him. However, a large hand grabbed my arm, and I turned around with a long sigh.

"I don't know if Marcel approves of you walking around alone, love. Especially since you're being hunted." Ugh, that goddamn smirk.

"Wait, how do you–"

"I healed you from a werewolf bite some time ago, remember?" A raise of his brows. "I highly doubt that it was just a random run-in with a wolf."

I crossed my arms stubbornly and weighed my options. I could leave him there and possibly get attacked at the next street corner, or risk my life by staying with him. Honestly, both options scared the living hell out of me.

"How about we take a coffee together, love?" Klaus reached out his arm, as if expecting me to hook mine in his. I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. What did he want with me? I was not naive enough to believe that he only wanted my company.

"Alright." I finally gave up, a contempt smile spreading across the british man's face. I rolled my eyes at him. "But I am _not_ taking your arm." I said as I pushed past him to find a damn coffeehouse.

* * *

"Black coffee." Klaus raised his eyebrows in surprise as I put down my cup on the wooden table in front of him. I sat down with a loud thump and gave him a look full of disbelief.

"Why so surprised?" My voice was drooping with sarcasm, yet it didn't seem to annoy Klaus. It usually annoyed everyone around me. Hey, not my fault that they couldn't take a joke.

"Not a mocha-choco-java-frappo thing all women seem to buy these days?"

"Comes from the guy who just ordered a White Mocha Latte." I replied while taking a sip of the rich, delicious coffee. Generalizing jerk.

"I have to see what all the rave is about, you see." I let out an involuntary chuckle as Klaus took a sip of his coffee. His nose scrunched up in the cutest way as his features contorted with disgust. Even I had to admit he looked adorable in that moment.

"How many pounds of sugar is there in that?!" He exclaimed, but his blue eyes were lit with laughter. I had never seen him relaxed like this. "I'm going to go and get an espresso instead." He excused himself before standing up and walking over to the counter.

" _Espresso."_ I rolled my eyes as I watched his back walk away. "Fancy european dudes." As I took a new sip of my coffee, my eyes traveled to the window. A pink haired familiar woman stared at me from across the street. I nearly dropped my mug. I blinked, and she was gone. With a shaking hand, I put the mug back down onto the table.

"Something wrong, love?" Klaus returned, his tousled hair shining bronze in the dim light of the afternoon. I shook my head and gave him a small smile.

"Nothing."

"So, you're psychic." Well that was straight-forward. Klaus took a probably minuscule sip of his coffee, judging by the small size of the cup.

"Don't say it like that. It makes me sound like a crazy old cat lady that hasn't showered in years and speaks her own language."

"What are you then, Juliette Walters?" The way Klaus pronounced my name reminded me of my french grandmother who I only saw once every five years or so.

"I like to think of myself as a kick-ass vampire with extra topping." I answered with a flick of my messy blonde hair. "Now let's get to business."

That was the first time I'd ever seen Klaus baffled.

"What business?" He composed himself, his expression turning serious.

"Just cut the crap, Klaus. I know you're not here just because you like my company." I set down the now empty blue mug on the table loudly and pinned my eyes on him.

"What if I am?" Klaus grinned mischievously, his dimples showing again.

"So you mean to tell me that you, _Klaus Mikaelson,_ the Original Hybrid, is giving me some of your precious time, simply because you feel like it?"

"That is exactly what I mean, love."

"Well, it must be my lucky day then." I mumbled sarcastically, looking out of the window again. This time, it was Sofia I saw peering back at me behind a stroller across the street. I cursed under my breath.

"May I ask who is following you?" I turned back to meet a blue earnest gaze, the mischief entirely gone from Klaus' face. He looked genuinely curious. I shook my head.

"You don't wanna get into it." I muttered. "However… I wonder if you could help me with something?" An idea was taking form in my head.

"To what payment, love?" The Original smirked again, dimples appearing. His curly copper hair looked nearly red in the sunlight shining through the big window of the café. I rolled my eyes at him in disbelief. Of course he wanted payment.

"Well… You get to spend the afternoon with me?"

* * *

My fist connected with Klaus' chest with a loud cracking noise, and my arm blazed with pain. I jerked my hand away and gaped at the hybrid, who was grinning at me evilly.

"Fuck! Are you made out of iron or something?!" I exclaimed, hugging my fist. Even with my vampire strength, I hadn't managed to punch Klaus with enough force. The man in question only let out a laugh, his eyes glowing with animal ferocity. I looked around me in the abandoned warehouse, making sure that we were alone. The golden light seeping through the crack of the slightly opened window shutters told me that it was the late afternoon. I still had some time with Klaus before Marcel would start worrying about me.

"Show me your best, love." Klaus commanded, and I glanced back at him. I couldn't help but notice the prickle of sweat running down his right temple, and the way his grey t-shirt clung to his sculpted chest. But one look at his haughty grin, and I wanted to punch him again. Hard.

"What? You wanted me to teach you how to defeat an old vampire." He once again raised his brows at me with a contempt smile. "Well, I'm the oldest of them all, love." Dear God, how could his ego even fit in that body? After a roll of my eyes, I positioned myself in a fighting stance again. I took a deep breath before moving. The air whooshed past me as I sped towards Klaus, aiming to kick him sideways in the chest. However, he grabbed my foot in the air before it managed to connect with his stone body. He flipped my foot around, tripping me to the ground. My back made a loud thud against the cement floor as I fell. I groaned and glared up at him.

"You're going to have to do better than that, love." Klaus grinned, but held out his hand for me. "Hasn't your dear boyfriend already taught you the basics of self defence?" He added as I refused to take his hand and jumped up by myself.

"He taught me the basics, yeah. But I want you to teach me how to take down one of you old guys specifically." I replied, ignoring Klaus' jab about Marcel. I gave him a small break as I moved a few feet away to take off my jumper. I could feel the hybrid's eyes burning on my back as I stripped down to my white tank top, but I ignored it. Even in the beginning of October, it was burning hot inside the warehouse.

"Come on then. Hurt me." Klaus chuckled, his voice sultry as I walked back up to him. There was something vicious in his eyes, something that awoke the beast within me. I gave him a devilish grin before speeding up again, this time aiming to trip him while punching him in the neck. I succeeded with one of them at least, as my hand connected with the soft stubble beneath his jaw. However, I once again found myself lying on the floor within half a second.

"Lesson number one: Never go for speed." Klaus said, his tone serious for once. I jumped up on my feet, watching him as he crossed his arms. "The older the vampire, the faster he or she can speed." I glared at him before deciding to change tactics. I gathered my strength before aiming to knee him in the stomach. Needless to say, it didn't go quite as I had planned. My knee made a crunching sound as it connected with a hard surface.

"Lesson number two: Don't rely on your strength. Like speed, a vampire's strength grows greater with time." Klaus continued, starting to circle around me. He seemed completely unbothered by my attempts to hurt him, moving with the same feline grace as usual. And, I was almost 100 % sure that he was walking around me to intimidate me.

"The only thing you can use against whoever is hunting you–" A pause to wink at me. "–is tactics. You have to do the unexpected." The british accent spoke softly in my ear. The unexpected, huh? I could feel Klaus's breath tickle my cheek as he lingered there purposefully. Without notice, I did a quick motion with my hand and the back of my fist connected with the crunching bone of Klaus' nose. He groaned in pain and surprise and I took a step to watch him clench his nose. His blue eyes were narrowed into a glare as he sneered at me.

"Like that?" I said with an innocent smile, crossing my arms. Klaus' eyes flashed yellow as he straightened himself up again. I could tell he was a sore loser by the way he glared at me as if he wanted to incinerate me on the spot. His lips pulled back over his teeth as he became no more than a blur in the air. Before I knew it, he had me pinned against one of the walls, his arm pressing down on my chest. Instead of asking for breath, I held his gaze. I could hear my heartbeat thump in my ears as much as I could feel his warm body against mine. His hair was slightly damp from sweat, and the intoxicating scent of his cologne invaded my senses. _Think straight, Juliette. You don't need to lose your head just because a hot guy is pinning you to the wall._ Okay, unexpected it was. I quickly pulled my knee up, expecting to hit Klaus right in the groin. A bit harsh, I know, but still. I didn't have many other options.

Of course, Klaus avoided it by quickly stepping away.

"You're still too obvious, love." He spoke while combing a hand through his ruffled hair. "You take a deep breath every time you prepare for a move. It would be easy for anyone who has had any sort of fighting experience to predict your next move." Alright. I wouldn't breathe this time. I counterattacked by slamming into Klaus in full force. Instead of pushing him with my hands on his chest, I pulled my knee up to that sensitive spot between his legs. At the very same time, I jabbed him in the neck with my right hand. That took him by surprise as he actually fell, and I managed to straddle him to the ground.

We both fell silent as we breathed heavily, and I couldn't tear my eyes away from Klaus. The way his throat bobbed as he inhaled the electric air between us. The way the hunger in his eyes was much different now. It seemed as if time slowed while none of us dared to move. I let my gaze wander down from Klaus' blue gaze to his defined collarbones, briefly visible under his sweaty shirt. It clung to his skin even more now, defining the muscles underneath. When I looked up at his eyes again, I saw that they were roaming along my body in the same way, sending a flash of heat through my body.

"I'M ON A HIGHWAY TO HELL!" The voice of Bon Scott echoed through the warehouse as my phone started ringing. That woke me up from my daze, and I quickly sped to the jacket lying a few feet away from us on the floor. The phone screen was lit with the face of Marcel. I swore under my breath as I saw that it was already six o'clock.

"Hi, baby." I answered while fervently pulling the leather jacket on.

"Where are you?" Marcel asked urgently on the other line, and I sighed. No " _Hello to you too, love of my life_ " today, then?.

"I'm on my way back home. I'll be there in ten, okay?" I said before hanging up. I turned around to excuse myself to Klaus, putting my phone back into my pocket.

"I'm sorry Kla–" I stopped abruptly when I realized that I was all alone in the warehouse. Klaus had left. Weird.

"I really need to change that ringtone." I muttered to myself as I walked out of the empty warehouse, shutting the door behind me.

* * *

The compound was filled with people when I returned, and they were all cheering for some unknown reason. I approached the crowd of familiar faces, trying to get a look at what they were celebrating.

"Julie!" Roxy exclaimed from nowhere, joining my side. Her flaming red hair contrasted her dark skin as she pulled me towards the center of the crowd. As I peered over Diego's shoulder, I managed to get a peek of the center of attention. Thierry was getting hauled up into the air by some of the other vampires as they were all cheering.

"Thierry is back!" Diego exclaimed when he noticed me, his face spread into a wide grin. I gave him a wink.

"I know. I'm the one who released him." I said with a shrug. Everyone stopped cheering within a second. The room turned silent as every gaze was pinned on me.

"What?" Roxy's high-pitched voice shrieked as her eyes widened in panic. "You mean that Marcel wasn't the one who released him?"

"No. I did." I repeated, frowning at her. I exchanged a worried look with Thierry. The vampires surrounding us looked extremely alarmed.

"But Marcel gave you the permission to do it, right?" Diego chuckled, scratching the back of his head. I shrugged nonchalantly.

"Nope."

"So you're saying that you went behind Marcel's back to release his prisoner?" Richard, a tall, skinny, blonde vampire who had been in league with Marcel for about two years spoke, his eyes narrowing in anger. I gulped, feeling trapped by all the glares directed towards me.

"Well if you put it that way…" I mumbled, blushing involuntarily.

"Juliette!" Marcel's voice echoed throughout the room and I glanced up to the balconies surrounding the court. There he was, his expression dangerously calm as he peered down at me. His knuckles were white where he gripped the railing of the balcony. "We need to talk."


	17. Chapter 17: Gods & Monsters

"Before you say anything…" I said as I followed Marcel into our bedroom, dragging my feet behind me. "–I just wanted my friend back." I tried, but I could see how tense my boyfriend was even though he had his back to me. And he was eerily still where he stood before the door to the balcony.

"Your _friend_ was sentenced to 100 years imprisonment in the Garden." He muttered through a clenched jaw in response.

"A sentence which he didn't deserve." I argued, standing my ground. I had freed Thierry for a reason. Believe it or not, it was not just because I was bored. Thierry didn't deserve the Garden for what he had done, and I stood by that.

"He broke the rules."

"To hell with your rules." I exclaimed, anger getting the best of me. "Thierry was innocent."

"Innocent?!" Marcel seethed, finally turning to look at me. His eyes were cold, making my heart feel so much heavier in my chest. "He killed one of my guys."

"Okay, maybe he did, but he had a reason."

"And what's that?"

"I think Klaus compelled Max to attack Katie." I answered grimly, walking up to join Marcel. _You're playing a dangerous game, Juliette._ I was playing at both sides for the moment. Well, technically, I was still loyal to Marcel. But then again, he was a jerk at times. And even though Klaus was an annoying sadistic ego-tripped powerful monster, he was quite fun to hang out with.

"What?" Marcel's brown eyes softened and widened in surprise. "He couldn't have. My guys are on vervain."

"Well then he must have drained him." I replied, for once in my life serious. I expected Marcel to believe me at once, but his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"How do you know all of this?"

"How do you think? I saw it in a vision." I defied, crossing my arms.

"When?"

"The day you imprisoned Thierry."

"And you're telling me this now?!" Marcel threw his hands into the air.

"Yes."

"I can't believe you, Julie." He sighed and put his face in his hands. Anger started boiling in my veins.

" _You_ can't believe _me?_ Hey, at least I freed Thierry! I wasn't the one who imprisoned my best friend! _"_

"Do you _ever_ stop and think of what's happening around you?" Marcel snapped, and I stopped in mid-motion. His tone was full of ice, and his eyes were blazing with anger. _Ouch._ "Of what's at stake? This is not just about Thierry! This is about how Klaus is trying to take over my town."

"Apologies, mister, but for me, friends are more important than a city." I challenged and cocked one of my eyebrows. I then took a deep breath and softened my gaze. "I could live anywhere with you, Marcel. I don't care if we're in New Orleans, Washington D.C or what the heck, even Mystic Falls, as long as I'm with you. Same goes for my friends. I would rather live in a little village in Oklahoma surrounded by you, Thierry, Roxy and Davina then live here in New Orleans without any of you."

Marcel finally looked up at me, remorse shining in his eyes. He clenched and unclenched his jaw simultaneously before finally speaking.

"And do you really think Klaus would let all of us live here peacefully if he took over New Orleans?" He raised his eyebrows at me. I swallowed loudly, not knowing what to answer. "I love this town, Julie. It's my home. And I will not let Klaus take it." He shook his head before moving past me towards the door. I didn't follow him with my gaze, but kept looking out the window.

Marcel stopped just before exiting through the door.

"Whatever it takes." He said, before I heard the soft noise of the door shutting behind me. _Whatever it takes._ So it seemed that Marcel's precious New Orleans was more dear to him than I was. I don't even know why I was so surprised. With a deep sigh, I swallowed my tears and went to bed.

* * *

 _A tall woman was quietly walking along a small stream in the night air. Her black dress flowed behind her in the small breeze, and her hair framed her pale face like a dark curtain. I watched her as she bent down to the river, reaching out her hand to touch the water. The only sound that was audible in the clearing was the sound of crickets, who were undoubtedly spread out in the high grass around the woman._

 _The trees loomed over me as I approached the woman with quiet steps, the grass crisp under my bare feet._

 _"_ _I have been waiting for you." The woman spoke, her voice soft and deep. She still had her back to me, even as I walked closer and closer to her. Finally, I was near enough to be able to see my face in the still water. Strange, rivers always run, they're not still. Next to my blonde face was the woman's. Brown eyes looked back at me, framed by a beautiful but withered face. The woman must have been in her late thirties or early forties, judging by the lines on her forehead and around her nose._

 _"_ _You have awakened. And soon I will too." Her face was expressionless as she looked at my reflection in the mirrored surface of the water._

 _"_ _Who are you?" I whispered. I looked different in my reflection. I couldn't really put my finger on what the difference was, but it was as if I was myself but still someone else._

 _"_ _You cannot know that yet." The woman slowly rose from her crouched position and turned to face me. "But know one thing, little one." She put her hand on my cheek with a small, warmth deprived smile. "You belong to me."_

I woke up in an empty bed, the sunlight shining into my eyes. With a deep yawn, I stretched my body out, marvelling at the satisfying sensation of my joints cracking. I stopped abruptly when I remembered my dream. _You belong to me._ What did that even mean? And who was the woman? I had never seen her in my life. Maybe this was just a normal dream. Not one of those psychic dreams. Yet it had felt eerily real.

I yawned once more before slowly sitting up, glancing around me in the room. It was empty, meaning that Marcel must have slept somewhere else. The sheets weren't even ruffled on the other side of our bed. However, he seemed to have been in the room, since the glass door to the balcony was opened. He also seemed to have tucked me in the sheets, since I distinctly remembered having fallen asleep on top of the navy silk bedclothes. The voices of tourists echoed outside the window, and I turned in my bed to check the alarm clock. When I realized how late it was, I jumped out of the bed to take a quick shower.

Ten minutes later (yes, I was fast as hell when I was in a hurry), I was out of the bathroom. I practically ran to my dresser while hurriedly brushing my hair. I decided to wear a knee long black dress that clung to my body when I walked. Quite unlike my usual casual style, but it was the first thing I had on hand. I then put on mascara and a touch of lipstick while putting on my black sneakers. Yes, I'm one of those lucky people who are blessed with perfect skin. I also tan easily, which is probably the one thing I love the most about myself. Silly, I know.

12:45. I still had the time to get to my shift, which started at one. I just had to vamp-speed there. Hey, Marcel was upset with me anyway. Might make the best of it, huh?

* * *

"Hey lady!" A quite large man called me over to his table with a contempt smirk, and I silently cursed myself for taking a waitress shift. But I still had to make up for all of the nights where I hadn't been able to sing. I couldn't really tell Cami that I had been kidnapped, could I? She didn't know about this vampire business. Or werewolf perhaps.

"I ordered my drink five minutes ago, and it's not here yet!" The man exclaimed, his eyes travelling down my body as I approached his table. His gaze made my skin prickle with discomfort.

"I'm sure it's on its way, sir." I answered him with a fake smile. Cami had reluctantly told me that the best way to get rid of these mongrels was to smile and do as they said.

"Do you want to order something else, sir?" I added. The man's gaze was fastened on my butt. Okay, I knew I had an amazing ass, but that didn't mean that he had the right to set his filthy eyes on it. I sighed and turned away from the guy, leaving him and his friends behind.

"How about you give me some of that sweet ass instead?" He called behind me, before I felt a hand groping my butt. Instead of squeezing his fat neck between my fingers, I chose other tactics. Because he had no 'I love NOLA' cap or shirt, no camera and no map in his hand. Not a tourist, sadly. I would have loved to rip the man's head off. His small eyes kept roaming my body as I turned around and walked over to him slowly. The sly grin on his face grew wider as I leaned in close to him. When my face was at the level of his, I caught his small pig eyes with mine.

"What's your worst nightmare?" I asked him with a sweet smile, ignoring his friend, who was panicking slightly to my right. The man's green gaze went blank as the compulsion washed over him.

"Spiders. I hate them." He stammered, his face turning into a light shade of green. I cocked my head to the side, but didn't let go of his gaze.

"Well, looks like you're crawling with spiders. Under your clothes. Under your skin. They're eating you up slowly." I compelled him. "And you can't get rid of them." With a small chuckle, I pulled away from the man. The compulsion broke, and he stood up abruptly. With small panicked screams, he started scratching himself all over his body.

"The spiders! They're eating me!" He exclaimed, as I tried my best to look innocent. "Someone get them off!" He did some strange jumping dance while his round face turned a pink hue, and I had to do my best not to laugh.

"Dude, there are no spiders!" His friend replied, but he looked slightly alarmed. The overweight man kept jumping around on the spot, while letting out terrifying screams. I continued like that for a few minutes before Cami had to call a security guard to get him to leave the bar.

"What the hell was that?" She answered as I came up to the bar to get the next command. I shrugged.

"He must have been _really_ scared of spiders."

* * *

Just as I was taking my apron off for the day, Joshua, the newbie vampire who I had helped Klaus take care of, walked up to me. He leaned against the bar a bit awkwardly as he settled on one of the barstools.

"You're Juliette, right?" He asked me, his big brown eyes curious. "Marcel's girlfriend?"

"Yeah." I replied, hanging up the apron behind the bar counter. Joshua let out a nervous chuckle as he tapped his fingers against the bar counter. He was up to something fishy. I knew that even without my psychic powers.

"Josh." He nodded his head. I raised my brows at him.

"I remember you. I was the one who helped you when you were in transition, remember?" Josh blushed with shame when he realized that he had forgotten me. "You're the guy who Klaus compelled."

Josh gaped.

"Yeah uhm– What– How do you–"

"I was there when he did it." I rolled my eyes and walked around the bar counter. I leaned against the wooden surface and gave him a sweet smile. Might as well charm the guy, you know. "What do you want?"

"A daylight ring."

"Okay, I can get that done. But I need a favor from you too." I said, twinning a lock of hair between my fingers with a feline smile. "Bring me to Klaus' house."

"Deal." Joshua shrugged and started walking towards the door. I followed him with easy steps, happy with myself.

"I'm gay, by the way." He said as we exited Rousseau's. I turned and sighed.

"I was that obvious with the flirting, huh?" I wondered with a small smile. Josh nodded but smiled back. He seemed nice.

"If it helps, I'm very good at spotting flirting." He said as we walked along the streets. I followed him as he walked up to a black SUV. "You would've ensnared any straight guy like catwoman."

"Hey, I already like you." I chuckled as I got in the passenger seat.

* * *

It wasn't until I had knocked on the door to the huge manor that I realized that I had no legitimate reason to be there. Why had I wanted to get to Klaus' house, really? Oh God. It was too late to turn back now. I could already hear footsteps approaching behind the door. _Shit._ Okay, I could just say that we hadn't finished our training. Yeah, that was a good reason. I suddenly found myself wishing that Josh had stayed instead of leaving me here alone.

The door handle creaked as it opened.

"Hi–" I stopped in mid-motion. "You're not Klaus." I frowned at the brunette standing behind the door.

"Uhm, no." The woman looked at me as if I was an alien, doubt very visible in her green eyes. She looked as if she was my age, and even I had to admit that she was very pretty. "Who are you?"

"Juliette Walters." I said with a smile, reaching out my hand. I wanted to know who this woman was, and what she was doing in Klaus's house. Especially since she was clutching her stomach. The woman glanced behind me, a crease behind her forehead. When she had decided that I was probably harmless, she took my hand.

"Hayley Marshall." And pictures started flashing by in my head. Hayley surrounded by Sophie Deveraux and her witch friends. Elijah and Klaus standing by. Hayley was looking down at her belly with wide eyes, and even Klaus looked surprised. _She's pregnant._ Elijah's voice echoed in the air. And I could see just by the look Hayley exchanged with Klaus that it was his child.

"Are you alright?" Present Hayley said, and my vision turned back to normal. I gulped loudly, suddenly wishing I was somewhere else. Klaus was going to be a father. This Hayley girl was probably his girlfriend. And here I was, asking for him.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just spaced out a little." I spoke, trying my best to keep a straight face. This had taken an unexpected turn. "I uhm– I was looking for Klaus."

"He's not here." Hayley was still looking at me with narrowed, suspicious eyes. "I can give him a message when he comes back, if you want."

I shook my head with a small smile.

"No, that's alright. It was nothing, really." God, this was awkward. "I'm just gonna go." I took a step back. Hayley gave me a small smile and a nod with her head before closing the door.

As I walked down the porch lined with green grass, the thoughts swirled around in my head. What kind of fucked up family drama had I gotten myself into? Klaus had a pregnant girlfriend, who was a werewolf (judging by the smell of wet dog that encircled her). His sister Rebekah despised me and had tried to kill me. Elijah would kill Marcel sometime in the future.

Holy crap.

 **A/N: Hi! I jusr wanted to thank you all for reading this story and remind you to please leave me reviews to tell me what you think of it! Love you 3 ~ Emma ~**


	18. Chapter 18: Dirty Paws

Klaus. Girlfriend. Pregnant. Werewolf. Baby. Those were the thoughts that went through my head over and over later that day. I made my way down St. Peter's street, munching on a beignet, when I had another vision.

 _Sophie Deveraux was hanging from two chains in some kind of crypt, pain visible in her face. An older woman was standing before her with a large syringe in her hand._

 _"Sabine's omen was clear." She spoke, her brown eyes grim. "That baby will bring death to us all."_

 _"What are you gonna do?" Sophie asked, her voice quivering. That was when she noticed the syringe. "No, no… Agnes, no!" But her cries were in vain, as Agnes plunged the needle into her neck anyways._

The vision switched to a now familiar brunette.

 _Hayley let out a yelp of pain and clutched her neck, right where Sophie had been injected with the syringe. She removed her hand to reveal a prickle of blood._

The vision stopped, and I regained my eyes sight. I looked around me to see if anyone was staring at me, but thankfully, the people were keeping up with their lives as usual.

Hayley and Sophie were linked. And Hayley was pregnant. Agnes had spoken about the baby being a danger right before injecting Sophie with whatever was in that syringe. Which meant that it was certainly a way to kill the baby.

"Oh my God." I whispered, as I turned on my heel. I needed to get back to Klaus' manor. I didn't care much for Hayley, or for him, really, but I didn't want an innocent baby to die. Someone had to tell her.

* * *

"You again." Hayley said as she opened the door. She seemed fine, which set me off a bit. Then again, many poisons didn't work immediately.

"Yeah, me again." I answered, tapping my foot against the wooden porch. I looked behind Hayley's shoulder to see if she was alone, but I saw no one. "Listen up. I know about your baby." The werewolf's eyes widened in alarm, but I didn't let her speak. "I'm not gonna hurt you, on the contrary. I know you don't know me, but something is wrong. Sophie Deveraux was injected with some kind of poison, and I think it might be to harm your child."

Hayley instantly clutched her stomach, and I saw a prickle of sweat running down her neck. There was also a slight trace of blood on her neck. I had been right.

"Please let me in, so I can help." I begged her. After a few seconds, she nodded slightly. She let me into the house.

"How did you know about my baby? And Sophie?" She asked me as soon as we stepped into the lobby. I couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful decorations in the house. The intricate paintings on the walls, the mahogany stairs and the ancient vases.

"Long story short: I can see the future." I answered, turning around to face the werewolf. She raised her brows at me in disbelief. "No use asking me what I am. I'm a vampire with special powers that I was born with."

"Okay…"

"When I shook your hand, I saw a vision from the graveyard when Klaus learned about your baby. And I had another vision about twenty minutes ago where I saw Sophie getting stabbed in the neck and you clutching yours in pain. I put two and two together, and here I am." I stopped in my steps to watch Hayley. She was looking more and more lightheaded by the second.

"Who are you, really?" She asked me feebly.

"Let's just say that I'm a friend of Klaus." I replied. I had a feeling that mentioning that I was Marcel's girlfriend might not be the best idea. "But we should really get you into a bed."

* * *

I sat next to Hayley's bed when a blonde head entered the room.

"I've called Elijah now, he should be here any–" Rebekah told Hayley before she froze as her eyes laid on me. "You." She seethed, her eyes instantly sending daggers at me. I stood up and took a careful step back. Last time Rebekah had looked at me like that, she had nearly ripped my heart out seconds later.

"Rebekah, it's alright." Hayley answered feebly from the bed. The Original's gaze softened as she looked back at the brunette. "She's here to help."

"How?" Rebekah asked me, and I let out a deep sigh. Klaus knew about my powers anyway, might as well tell Rebekah too. And so I told her everything.

* * *

"I feel like I've been microwaved." Hayley complained as Rebekah patted her forehead with a wet cloth.

"Hey, just because you're carrying a baby doesn't mean you have to act like one. Surely, your little niece is healing you up as we speak." The blonde replied.

"Hey, I might have an idea." I stood up from where I had been sitting and walked up to Hayley. Rebekah was still suspicious of my so called powers and refused to stop glaring at me, but I ignored her. "I should be able to look into the future and see what we have to do to heal you."

"I'm not even gonna pretend to understand what that meant." Hayley mumbled, but nodded as I touched her arm.

"I'm not very good at deliberately having visions, but I'll give it a try." I whispered, before concentrating. I tried to remember how it had felt when Davina's powers had flown through me when I had done the same thing with Elijah. My vision blurred. To my surprise, it wasn't Hayley or Sophie I saw. It was Davina, standing in her attic. Before her was tied up rope, and she was motioning towards it with her hands while muttering incoherent words.

"Did it work?" Rebekah asked me as I regained my vision. I gaped at the two of them.

"Davina is unlinking you from Sophie." I told Hayley. "We just need to wait her out." Hayley sighed, turning restlessly in her fever. _How did they get Davina to do it?_ It seemed as if my little protegée had done some scheming of her own.

"Well, could she hurry?" The werewolf moaned, and her gaze was getting more and more glazed over by the second.

"My mother always told me that the best cure to a fever is to cool down the body temperature." I replied, looking at Rebekah. She stopped her patting and glared at me.

"What do you think it is I'm doing?" She snapped, motioning to the wet cloth in her hand.

"I mean that we might have to cool her down more than that. Like a cold bath or something." I replied with an equal glare, turning back to look at Hayley. "She's burning up."

Just a I said that, I heard footsteps nearing the room. Elijah entered first, clad in a suit just like the first time I had met him. His brown eyes first fastened on Hayley with worry, before he noticed me. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"What is she doing here?" He asked Rebekah with suspicion, but her eyes were on the woman who had followed Elijah into the room. Sophie. She looked at me with surprise, but didn't speak.

"Beats me. I'd gladly not have her here either." Rebekah crossed her arms, and I rolled my eyes at her. I was tempted to stick out my tongue, but I wasn't _that_ childish.

"Rebekah, she's helping." Hayley said meekly from the bed. The blonde sighed and turned her attention to the witch instead.

"Now, what the bloody hell is _she_ doing here?" She seethed, but Sophie looked more tired than afraid.

"I'm trying to help." The brunette replied, her kohl lined eyes soft with desperation.

"Help?!" Rebekah shot back, her blonde curls jumping with the motion. "You're the reason we're in this bloody mess! Why aren't we unlinked with this witch already, Elijah?"

"Rebekah, let her do what she can."

"I may know a way to slow the fever down." Sophie ensured, glancing at Hayley. Her eyes came back to me at times, as if she was trying to figure out what I was doing there. As far as she recalled, I was just Marcel's girlfriend. OH SHIT! She couldn't find out that I was psychic. I don't know what that would lead to with the witches… Wow, I had really gotten myself into a big pile of mess.

"But I'm gonna need some special herbs. I'll text you a list." She told Rebekah, and the blonde uncrossed her arms to throw them up in the air. "Why should I be your fetch girl?! Send her instead. That way she might do something useful." She cocked her head at me with a bitchy smile. I had to count to ten before answering to calm down my nerves. Rebekah really was the bitchiest person I had _ever_ met. She was even more annoying than Caroline when she had been angry with me.

"Alright. You have my number." I told Sophie, standing up. I then turned to Elijah. "The pool. Cool her down." He nodded as I brushed past him.

* * *

"Sage…" I muttered, rummaging through Katie's collection of herbs. I figured since I had saved her boyfriend from rotting away for a hundred years, she owed me a favor. Even from her grave. "Rosemary, basil, lavender… What is this, a witch cooking shop?!" I exclaimed quietly to myself.

"Julie?" _Shit._ "Isn't this Katie's shop?" I turned around slowly to meet Marcel's gaze. He looked at me with calculating eyes, while I rummaged through my mind for a good excuse to be stealing witch herbs.

"Yes. What are you doing here?"

"Protecting my city form vandals and thieves… Didn't think you'd be one of them."

"Oh, so you mean that you didn't come here to steal herbs for your gumbo? Damn, I'm disappointed. I love your gumbo." I asked, diverting the attention from me. Unfortunately, my boyfriend knew me better than to accept that.

"You're doing that thing again."

"What thing?"

"That thing when you joke when you're nervous." Marcel replied with a small smile, walking closer to me. His voice was sweet and inviting as he spoke, making my heart flutter slightly. Wait, I knew what he was doing. He was also trying to manipulate me. "I know you, Julie."

He was standing close to me now. So very close that I could smell the familiar scent of sandalwood, and the warmth tickle of his breath against my skin. Oh, how I loathed fighting with Marcel. I longed for his touch more than ever, and I didn't trust myself to make good decisions in that moment.

"I know you're hiding something." _Don't betray Klaus. For the sake of the baby._ My inner voice spoke to me, and I felt my heart splitting as I looked into the eyes of the man I loved. How could I lie to him? Yet what would he do if he found out about Hayley and the baby? Marcel could be ruthless. And he never listened to me when I pleaded with him to show mercy. Telling him would mean putting Hayley and baby Klaus in danger.

"These are for Davina." I admitted slowly, making it seem as if I was embarrassed. "I would've bought them for her, but… I thought that this shop was rotting here anyway."

Marcel peered down at me with narrowed eyes, and I held his gaze as if to prove that I was being honest.

"Alright." He finally admitted after our small staring contest. I finally looked away, and that's when I saw the small bottle on the shelf behind him. It had the word "sage" written on the sticker.

"Hah! There it is." I exclaimed, moving past him to take the herb. I put it in my handbag as I turned around to meet Marcel's gaze again. He still didn't look completely convinced. _Divert him, divert him. NO, I know what you're thinking, Juliette. Not with humor!_

"Are you still upset with me because of Thierry?" I asked him, softening my expression. I did genuinely wonder. "I'm sorry for going behind your back."

"It's fine. He was innocent." MArcel sighed, his shoulders relaxing. He took a few steps towards me to brush aside a strand of my hair from my eyes."I hate fighting with you."

"Me too." I whispered, leaning into his hand. Marcel's warm gaze made my heart melt, and I contemplated telling him everything for just one second. Screw Klaus, screw his fucked up family. I loved Marcel, and I owed him the truth. But then I saw Hayley before me, panting for breath, clutching her stomach desperately. No, I couldn't betray her.

"I have to go now." I mumbled, pulling away from Marcel. "See you later?" My boyfriend only replied with a nod before I exited the small shop.

* * *

"What took you so bloody long?" Rebekah exclaimed as soon as I joined the party next to the pool.

"I had a run in with Marcel." I snapped back, while giving the herbs to Sophie. Everyone froze around me, even Hayley, who was wrapped up in a blanket. "What? I didn't tell him anything. Chill." I sighed, but my company didn't seem convinced.

"She's burning up." Elijah broke the silence after feeling Hayley's forehead.

"We need to do this now. Get her in the water." Sophie commanded Elijah as soon as she had started fiddling with the herbs.

"I don't see how a midnight swim is supposed to help." Rebekah turned to the witch, and I resisted the urge to facepalm. Okay, despite my natural dislike of the blonde, she _was_ annoying.

"I already told you." I gave her a sweet smile. "Her temperature is high, so we need to cool her down."

"The water, with the help of the herbs, should help." Sophie filled in. She grabbed the cup of whatever witchy gunk she had been preparing and walked over to Elijah and Hayley. The eldest Original was currently carrying the werewolf in the pool.

"Drink this." Sophie gave the cup to Hayley and commanded her to drink. I noticed Rebekah glaring at me from the corner of my eye, but I kept my attention focused on the trio in the pool. "You're gonna have to get her heartrate down." Sophie turned to Elijah.

"And how do you suggest I do that?"

"Hold her. It's a natural human remedy to slow the heartbeat and reduce blood pressure." Elijah held onto Hayley tight as he walked deeper into the pool, and I heard Rebekah sigh loudly next to me.

"This is never gonna work." She complained, and I raised my brows at her nonchalantly.

"Talk about the optimist."

"Shut up, or I might rip out your heart for real next time." She sneered at me, and I gulped. Uhm, no, I'd rather she didn't.

"Davina will break that link." Elijah spoke from the pool. He seemed to have missed our little spat. "We just need time."

The next minutes were spent by Hayley restlessly turning, and Elijah reassuring her with comforting words. Meanwhile, I was standing by a few feet from the edge of the pool, biting my nails off in anxiety. That was until Hayley screamed out in pain, and both Rebekah and I hurried to the very edge of the turquoise water in panic.

"I just felt it lift." Sophie said unexpectedly, and Hayley's cries turned to soft whimpers. The witch picked up a needle and pricked the palm of her hand. My chest heaved with a relieved sigh as I watched Hayley and Elijah. They were looking at each other intensely, as the Original was checking Hayley's hand for the prick of Sophie's needle. Something seemed to be going on between them. Shit, and she was carrying Klaus's child. Wasn't she his girlfriend too? Wonder what he'd think if he was there.

Rebekah took Hayley in her arms as I went to fetch a towel. But through my vamp hearing, I could hear Elijah and Sophie's conversation.

"As soon as Klaus finds out that the link is broken… He'll kill Agnes." The witch said softly. "I know you don't owe me anything, but please don't let him kill her."

I nearly jumped out of surprise as Elijah jumped out of the pool in high speed and landed right next to me. However, I gathered myself and moved over to han the red towel to the shivering werewolf.

"Elijah! She's our only access to the power we need to survive. Promise me that you'll stop him!" The witch pleaded, her dark eyes desperate. The Original vampire picked his phone up and dialed a number, presumably Klaus's.

"It's me, where are you?" Short pause. "No, don't hurt her. I'll be there shortly." He hung up and turned back to Sophie. "I'll make you one last promise. I won't let my brother kill Agnes." He nodded at her before moving away, leaving us all in silence.

* * *

After Hayley had thanked me and Rebekah had merely insulted me a little bit more, I was left walking along the lonely dark street leading home to the compound alone. After the night I had had, I wasn't even afraid of Rachel and Sofia attacking me anymore. I was tired, and I wanted to get home so that I could melt in Marcel's arms and stay there forever.

But that was not what fate had in mind. And invisible force crashed into me just as I had reached the turn to Bourbon Street.

"I should kill you right away for spying on my family." Klaus' voice whispered in my right ear as I was pressed up against a brick wall. I forced myself to look at him, even as I was struggling for breath from his iron grip.

"Spying? I was helping to save Hayley's life." I spat back through gurgling sounds. The hybrid was glaring at me with so much anger that I was actually afraid of him.

"You know too much." The quirky smirking Klaus who I had come to know was nowhere in sight. This beast with glowing yellow eyes was someone entirely new, and I could tell that he was having an inner feud. If he would've wanted to kill me, I would've been dead already.

"Then kill me." I challenged with a hoarse voice. My throat felt as if it was being crushed into a million pieces, but I didn't bother fighting him. He would win anyway. I watched the contemplation in Klaus' eyes while silently hoping that my theory was right. That he wouldn't kill me.

With a quick motion, the hybrid let go of his grasp on me and let me sink to the ground. He hadn't killed me. Why? It would've hurt Marcel. And that way, he would've been certain that Hayley remained a secret to him.

"He–" Klaus mumbled, his voice breaking as he turned around to shield his face. There was vulnerability in his voice, mixed with worry and a slight tinge of relief. "Marcel cannot know. I have to protect them." I still couldn't see his face, but my heart slowed at the sound of his voice. There was a new kind of maturity in him. I suddenly understood his anger. Why he was so desperate to work against Marcel. He had to defend his loved ones.

"I won't tell him anything. I promise." I mumbled softly. I took a careful step towards Klaus, who still had his back towards me. But just as I was about to place my hand on his shoulder, he disappeared.

 **A/N: Hi! I just wanted to ask you to please leave comments to tell me what you like with this story! I'm always looking for ways to make it better 3 3 Thank you!**


	19. Chapter 19: Better Love

Marcel was reading in the red armchair by the king sized bed when I entered the bedroom. He looked up as I entered through the door, putting down the book in his lap. It wasn't until he saw the expression on my face that he stood up and embraced me in his arms. I didn't even notice when I started crying, but I held onto him as if he was my anchor to this world.

"What happened?" He asked worriedly while stroking my hair softly. I sobbed in his warm arms, inhaling his familiar scent to calm myself.

"I'm scared, Marcel. I'm scared of Rachel and Sofia. I'm scared of the Mikaelsons." I looked up at him through my blurred vision, certain that I looked like a racoon due to the smeared mascara around my eyes. "I'm scared of losing you."

"Losing me?" He repeated, his brown gaze filled with adoration as he stroke away a tear from my cheek. "That's madness."

"I feel like I'm drifting away from you in all of this drama." I admitted, still clamoring onto him. "Destiny seems to be doing everything it can to break us apart."

"Then let's not let it." Marcel's hand stopped stroking my hair and stayed behind the base of my neck. "Let's not let them get to us. We're a team, Juliette. I might be king of this city, but you're my queen." His words soothed my very soul, and I realized that I had stopped crying.

"Juliette…" Marcel whispered softly, and suddenly got down on one knee. Wait. _Hold the fuck up_. What was he doing?! No, it couldn't be true. "I love you. More than anything. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, here, in our home." He picked up something from his pocket, and it seemed to be a golden ring with a small ruby on it. Okay, he was being serious. Wow. The best time to propose. Like... We'd been together for three years, and now was the time he chose to propose.

"I-" I seem to have been in quite a state of shock, because I couldn't get any comprehensible words out of my mouth. Marcel was still looking up at me with a smile, his eyes creasing at the edges.

"I know I should've gotten a better ring, but…" He stopped to chuckle, while I was doing my very best not to run out of the room. This was way too much going on all at once, especially after the long night I had had. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes." I heard myself answer, and I only came to my senses when he jumped up and kissed me hard. I dissolved into the kiss, releasing all tension from my body as I gave in to my heart. When I pulled away, I beamed at him widely. "Oh my God. We're getting married." I laughed with glee, and reached out my hand to him. Marcel, smiling just as widely as me, put the ring on my finger.

"I'm engaged." I sighed, just as happy as I was shocked. "Holy crap."

* * *

When I woke up the next morning, I was alone in our bed. Not even the morning after our engagement could Marcel sleep in with me. Not that we had actually slept a lot that night. With a groan, I sat up in the bed, only to realize that it wasn't actually morning. The alarm clock said 2 am. Shit, I must have only slept an hour or so. And Marcel was gone. Where the hell was he?

After pulling on a tank top and sweatpants, I walked over to the wooden door, carefully opening it. There was a large mass of people in the courtyard, and I remembered that tonight was fightnight. Marcel organized these things once or twice a month to give the nightwalkers a chance to get daylight rings. Maybe that's why he had left me alone. But, after there was no sight of Marcel in the courtyard, it tip-toed to Roxy's room. After three unanswered knocks, I opened the door slightly.

"Rox?" I whispered in a hushed manner. Her room was dark, but through my vampire night vision, I could make out a shape in her bed. Wait, no, actually, two shapes. Another girl was lying nearly naked next to Roxy, and I quickly shut the door behind me. Ooops. Although when I turned around to leave, someone opened the door.

"Yeah? What the hell, Julie? It's 2 am. Go back to sleep." Roxy shot back at me, her voice hoarse with tiredness.

"I'm sorry, I was just gonna ask you if you know where Marcel is?" I answered, taking in the awful sight that was Roxy's bed head. She sighed and looked at me as if she wanted to kill me in return.

"He left about thirty minutes ago saying that he had some business with Klaus Mikaelson. He looked pretty smug to me." She spoke, but her face fell when her eyes fastened on my right hand. "Are you– Is that what I think it is?! Are you engaged?!" She squealed happily, and I snatched back my hand.

"That depends on whatever the hell Marcel's up to right now." I replied with a false smile, my heart starting to beat rapidly. Maybe Marcel had found out about Hayley in some way. How? And if he had, what was he gonna do? "I gotta go."

"Wait! Julie, you can't leave right after dropping that bomb!" Roxy exclaimed angrily behind me, but I was already down the stairs to the courtyard. Halfway through the crowd of vampires, my friends, I stopped. A familiar voice was booming across the large room.

"Ladies, gentlemen!" Marcel shouted, and I swiveled around to see him standing on the balcony where I had stood merely seconds before. "Welcome to fightnight!" The crowd cheered. I didn't.

"And the first rule of fightnight is... The vampire left standing at the end of the night is one step closer to the inner circle, and one of these." He showed the daylight ring on his hand to the crowd, his face smiling and yes, rather smug. What was he up to?

"A daylight ring. If you can impress me with a little ultraviolence, you too will get to feel the sun on your face. All you gotta do is kick a little ass."

I had tried to convince Marcel that this fightnight thing was complete vulgar bullshit, but it had never worked. Apparently, my boyfriend– fiancée– liked seeing other people beat the shit out of each other. I didn't. Fighting was only fun when I got to do it, and Marcel had forbidden me from that after I had won too many times. And besides, I had already won a daylight ring by ensnaring the king of New Orleans with my charm. At least that's what I liked to say.

"So, here we go!" Marcel finally exclaimed with a charismatic smile. He really was a natural leader, that much was sure. "Our first two contenders are… Roxy, again." He added with a little smile, as my red haired friend, who had somehow managed to get dressed and jump down to the courtyard, entered the circle in the middle of the crowd. She stuck her tongue out at Marcel, but he only grinned in return. Oh, the story about Roxy and her daylight ring? I'll get back to it later. It's quite funny actually. "And Otto!"

Otto, a bald vampire who was relatively new to our little club, walked up to Roxy. He was a mountain of muscle, but I knew better than to underestimate my friend. She was hella quick and very flexible.

BOOM! The first blow was swung by Roxy, who punched Otto straight in the nose. A crunching sound could be heard through the crowd, and I couldn't help but hear Klaus' words as I watched Roxy dance around. _Always seek out your enemy's weakness._ Otto's weakness was that he was slow, probably due to his body mass. Roxy counteracted that by using her speed as an advantage, dancing around him while landing blows. However, she was at a disadvantage where strength came. At some point, Otto managed to grab her arm, and used it to push her down to the ground. She quickly stood up again, but he charged on her. To my surprise, Roxy jumped up on his shoulders, straddling his neck. Otto walked around in confusion, trying to get rid of the red haired vampire, but her grip around his neck was getting tighter and tighter. Finally, she snapped his neck with a quick motion of her legs. This time, I actually cheered with the crowd. Roxy had outmastered the other vampire royally.

But our victory was cut short, for in the blink of an eye, a blurry shape speeded behind Roxy and snapped her neck. As her body fell to the ground, I realized that the shape was Klaus. And I was standing dangerously close to him. The crowd went completely silent as the hybrid locked eyes with Marcel.

"Good evening." He greeted simply. I didn't know what to do. The safest thing was to get to Marcel's side, but then again, that would probably attract Klaus' attention. And he did _not_ look happy with Marcel. I had a bad feeling about this. "I'd like a word."

"What do you think you're doing?" Marcel seethed in response, and his gaze flicked to me for a split second. I got the message, and slowly started to back into the crowd. However, I seemed to have walked right into another man.

"It appears that we've interrupted a collection of filthy amateurs." Elijah Mikaelson explained as his hand went around my neck. Holding my arm twisted behind my back, he forced me to walk into the circle. I knew struggling would be in vain. I'd just kick his ass later.

"We've come here for the girl." He added, looking straight at Marcel. Anyone else would've thought he meant me, but I knew he didn't. He meant Hayley. Which meant that Marcel had somehow abducted her. Which meant that they suspected me of ratting out on them. Haha, well this just got very awkward.

"Give her to us, or… We kill everyone here." Elijah said, his hand still an iron grip around my neck. I knew that if I moved just the slightest bit, he would snap my neck instantly. "Starting with your fiancée." How the hell had he managed to register my ring already? I saw Marcel clench his jaw on the balcony.

"You two got a lot of nerve, coming into my home and making demands." Okay, this was not the time to challenge Klaus and Elijah further. I was kinda you know… In a very compromising situation. I tried to tell Marcel that with my eyes, but he was relentless.

"Your home, is it?" Klaus shot back with a sarcastic chuckle.

"THE GIRL!" Elijah yelled, and I nearly jumped out of pure surprise. His grip on me was starting to hurt, and my arm ached behind my back. Why couldn't Marcel just give them Hayley, and I'd be free? "I will not ask again." Okay, whatever "respect" Elijah and I had had for each other was completely gone. I had no doubt he would kill me. Klaus, I knew he couldn't. We were linked for some reason. I didn't like it, he didn't like it, but that's just how it was. But Elijah… He had no reason to show mercy at all.

"I assume you're talking about Hayley, yay high, dark hair, bitchy attitude? Who is she, anyway?" Marcel grinned down at Klaus maliciously. _I love you, Marcel, but you're playing a dangerous game._ This was one of those times when telekinesis would have been a much more useful power than seeing the future.

"She's an old friend." Klaus replied. "You know how sentimental I am about old friends."

"Well, I ain't got her. And before you start whining, I did pay her a little visit earlier tonight." I KNEW IT! I freaking knew it. So that's where he sneaked off. "I was feeling nostalgic. So I took a trip out to the plantation where I used to be a slave. And imagine my surprise when I realized that the Original family of vampires had taken up residence. Your girl Hayley answered the door. We exchanged hellos, that was it. If you don't believe me, look around." _Okay, I wouldn't really mind if you just apologized and got me out of this situation now, Marcel._

"Hell, I'll even help you find her. But the question I'd ask is… If Hayley isn't here, then where is she?" And like that, Klaus and Elijah were at Marcel's side. I would've slumped to the ground if Thierry hadn't been there to catch me.

"You okay?" He asked, but my attention was elsewhere. It was on Marcel, who locked his eyes with mine. A team, huh?

* * *

"Screw this. He can have his freaking warcouncil with Klaus and Elijah. I'm gonna go see Davina." I told Roxy after Marcel was finally convinced that I was fine. Suddenly, he was all friends with the Mikaelsons again. _Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer._

"Hey, we still need to talk about that." Roxy answered, looking at my ring. I gave her a small smile, watching her rub her neck. She had awoken to find the whole compound in shock.

"Sure, but I really have to go. I have something important to do." I explained, before leaving her alone in the courtyard. Sending one last look at Klaus, seated in one of the fancy armchairs that Marcel had dragged to the court, I exited the door.

I decided that the safest option was to vamp-speed over to Davina's, since I had too crazy vampires, and one even crazier that probably suspected me of betraying her family, after me. The church was locked when I arrived, but I had my own set of keys that Father Kieran had reluctantly given me when we installed Davina in the attic. It was eerie quiet in the building, the darkness engulfing me. I could sense it in the air that something horrible had happened there. But I shook the mystery of the demonic murders of St. Anne's church off me as I walked up the stairs to Davina's attic. I knocked on her door softly, and to my surprise, she answered.

"Julie? What are you doing here?" She asked me. She wasn't even in her nightgown! By that time, it must have already been 3:30 a.m.

"What the hell are you doing awake at this hour?" I exclaimed in return. Then, I realized that I sounded like her mother, and broke down into laughter. "Seriously, though. We have a lot to talk about." Davina's mouth turned into an 'O' shape as I took her hand and sat her down on the bed.

* * *

"So you're telling me that you helped Elijah and Sophie save Hayley's life while I was unlinking the witch and the werewolf. And now Hayley is missing, and Klaus and Elijah think that Marcel has abducted her, and also that you're the one who told him about it all." Davina rambled, finally stopping to gather her breath. "And you're engaged to Marcel."

"And I'm engaged to Marcel, yes." I repeated, throwing myself down on the bed, landing softly on my back. I was exhausted. I nearly felt human again.

"You guys have already practically been a married couple since I've known you, but it's still surprising. Why now?" Davina asked me from the end of the bed. I let out a groan before peaking out between my fingers.

"I don't know? My head feels like it's gonna explode." I mumbled, my voice muffled by my hands. I lifted my head slightly to peer into Davina's face. "You've been working with Elijah all along. Why?"

"He made me promise not to tell Marcel, and that I was to stay here. In return, he would bring me spells from his mother's spellbook. Spells to practice, a way for me to learn how to control my magic." Pain flashed by in her blue eyes. I sat up and really looked at her. I hadn't noticed just how tired she looked, how empty her eyes were.

"Oh, D." I said, before engulfing her in a hug. "You know I'd kill each and everyone of the witches in the Quarter only so you could get out of here, right?" I mumbled into her hair as she hugged me back. Davina pulled away and smiled at me.

"I don't know what I would do without you, Julie." She said, and I beamed back at her. "But, as I've already told you, I want to be the one to destroy the witches."

"I know. You have the right to. " I gave her a sad smile. "You know, I was wondering if you could do something for me." I said, remembering what I had gone there for. "To prove to the Mikaelsons that I'm not the one behind Hayley's abduction."

"What is it?" Davina narrowed her eyes at me in suspicion.

"Look, I know you don't like them. But consider this a favor for me, not for them." I ensured her. "Could you locate Hayley for me? That way I can tell Klaus and Elijah and get them off my back."

"Sure, but I would need something of hers to do a locator spell." Davina frowned at me. I shook my head before grinning at her victoriously.

"I have another idea." I stood up a little bit too quickly, making Davina jump in surprise. "But first, you don't happen to have a little witchjuice? Something to liven me up a bit? I haven't slept at all in 24 hours. I'm gonna need some energy for this."

 **A/N: Hello all of you lovely readers out there! Please leave me a comment and tell em what you thought of the chapter, it would really help :) 3**


	20. Chapter 20: Dressed In Black

Should I have called Marcel before going out into the Bayou to save Hayley alone? Yes. Should I have called Elijah or Klaus as well? Yes. But what did I do? I went alone. Because I really felt like kicking Tyler Lockwood's ass.

"Long time no see, wolfboy." I walked up to my old 'friend' from Mystic Falls with a grin. He did a double-take when he saw me and stopped in his tracks. There was no one else around us, but I smelled wet dog in the air everywhere I turned.

"Juliette Walters?" Tyler widened his brown eyes, before breaking into a smile. He nearly ran up to me before engulfing me in a hug. I was surprised, but hugged him back. "Is that really you?" I saw a movement from the corner of my eye and realized that we actually weren't alone. A man was watching us from the shadows of the trees. A werewolf. Might as well play nice to begin with.

"What, have I changed so much?" I chuckled, but did a mental double take as well when I noticed Tyler's smell. He had the same smell to him as Klaus. "You're a hybrid."

"And you're a vampire." Tyler raised his brows, before crossing his arms. "Shit, I can't believe it's you." He shook his head while breaking into a smile again. I stood there silently, watching him in fascination. "You were the big talk in Mystic Falls after you left, you know."

"I was?" I said, raising my brows. As I have mentioned, I hadn't been the most loved teenager in my old town. Most teachers had hated me, my parents hadn't cared about me, and most of my friends had secretly hated me for being so outspoken.

"Yeah." Tyler said, before silence settled between us. I sighed before walking up to him.

"Although I would've loved to catch up with you some more, I'm here for a reason." I stated, crossing my arms while staring the dark haired man down. "Where's Hayley?"

Tyler gaped for a few seconds, before closing his mouth and clenching his jaw. I saw his eyes flick over to the man hiding in the forest, and I didn't even need to look to know that the werewolf was approaching me. Shit. I should've thought this through, as usual. And the fact that Tyler was a hybrid changed everything.

"I'm sorry, Walters." The hybrid shook his head slowly, anger suddenly appearing in his eyes. "I liked you. But I can't let you ruin this." Those were the last words I heard before my neck was snapped and everything went black.

* * *

 _I was in a large hall with high ceilings. Perhaps a cathedral of some sort, I wasn't sure. What worried me the most was Klaus standing before a large group of people. I spotted Sofia and Rachel among them._

 _"I have gathered you all here for a reason." Klaus spoke with a sly grin. His hair was long and tousled, and he was only wearing a loose white shirt and black trousers. The group of vampires watched him in silence. "You all know my condition for making you immortal. You are to become my soldiers." He turned clasped his hands together before glancing at a man to his right._

 _"This is Emmanuel. He will be your commander and trainer." He motioned for the young ampire to step forward. He had curly black hair that flowed down to his shoulders, and a lean body. Personally, I wouldn't have thought that that guy was a training coach. He was frankly quite small. At least if you compared to guys like Otto._

 _"Claire, please step up." A young woman with long, black hair walked up to Klaus with a feline smile. I could see the ferocity in her eyes, even if she looked like an innocent snow white in appearance. "I want you to help Emmanuel with his first lesson." Klaus touched her shoulder slightly before stepping back. It wasn't until then I noticed Elijah, standing in the corner with a straight face._

 _"Alright. The first rule to learn when it comes to fighting is that you always have to seek out your enemies' weaknesses." Emmanuel spoke with a thick accent. I recognized it instantly as french. He turned to Claire with a wide grin. "Now Claire will attack me, and I will let all of you guess what her weakness is."_

 _Claire didn't wai a single second before jumping on Emmanuel. He quickly dodged her attack and speeded up behind her. The female sneered and swiveled around, veins visible under her eyes. She tried to land a punch on Emmanuel's face, but he jumped right into the air, once again appearing behind her._

 _"That's good for now." Emmanuel said, and Claire (very reluctantly) snapped back her fangs as the veins under her eyes disappared. The french man turned back to the crowd of people. "Does anyone want to tell me what Claire did wrong?" He asked the soon-to-be soldiers. At first the group was silent, but then someone spoke up. To my surprise, it was Rachel._

 _"She was too slow. She should have assessed from the begin that your strength is your flexibility and your speed. She should have relied on the fact that your lightweight and used force." Rachel spoke calmly, and I noticed her gaze flicking over to Klaus. He smiled at her with pride in her eyes, encouraging her. The blonde beauty turned back to Emmanuel. "That is my guess."_

 _"Very good. What's your name, miss?" Emmanuel said with recognition, bowing her head at Rachel. Claire was glaring at her from beside Emmanuel, fire in her beautiful blue eyes._

 _"Rachel Vaughan, sir." Rachel replied, her brown eyes showing nothing but strength._

 _"Well, I am impressed, Rachel Vaughan." The trainer spoke, his smile making his eyes crease. I thought I saw a faint blush appear on the blonde vampire's cheeks before the vision faded away._

* * *

"Juliette?" I opened my eyes slowly to meet a familiar pair of green ones.

"Hayley?" I answered, looking around me. Where was I? Oh right… It all came back to me. Tyler Lockwood, kidnapping... Yeah, that.

"What are you doing here?" Hayley asked me with a low voice while I slowly realized that I was tied up next to her. Well that was it for my rescue plan.

"Long story short–" I started while trying my best to get out the uncomfortable position. "–I managed to put my power to good use, and with the help of a friend of mine, I saw you out here. And Tyler Lockwood."

"You know Tyler?" Hayley asked me, still speaking in a hushed tone. We were alone in the room, but I knew that Tyler and the other dude could barge in any second.

"I'm from Mystic Falls. I grew up with that dickhead." I told Hayley. I finally stopped struggling in my binding and turned to her completely. "I'm starting to think I should have brought your two boyfriends as reinforcement."

"My two– Wha–" She went quiet when Tyler suddenly entered the room. He glanced between Hayley and I for a few seconds before walking up to her. "Tyler, there's been a wolf watching me lately. Protecting me like it instinctively knows that I'm part of its pack." Wait how did they know each other?

"You're a hybrid. You can turn into a wolf whenever you want. Was it you?" Tyler shook his head, while I watched the two of them with curiosity.

"No." Was that– Holy crap, was that actually humanity in Tyler's eyes? Remorse? When I had known him, he'd just been a fuckboy who was fun to drink with. "But you're right. Hybrids can control when they change. And I'm the only one left besides Klaus. Which is why we're here." I wouldn't have minded if Klaus barged in then.

"Whatever you think you're doing, you should know the whole Original family has made some sort of pact or something to keep me and the baby safe." Hayley shot back at Tyler with fierceness.

"I second that." I said, only to remind them of my presence in the room. "Dude, you have no idea what they'll do to protect her." I said while shaking my head. Tyler only stared at me emotionlessly before Hayley started speaking.

"Exactly. So if you hurt me, they'll kill you."

"What exactly makes you think I'm afraid to die?" He said, with so much pain in his brown eyes that I was actually taken aback. Wow, he really had changed since I had left Mystic Falls.

The door opened and closed as the other werewolf walked in, and the hybrid in the room turned to him.

"You ready for this?" Tyler asked, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Hold up, ready for what?" Needless to say, they both ignored me. I had a bad feeling about this.

"Let's do it." The werewolf muttered, looking at Hayley. Tyler gave him a small nod as he took something out of his bag. A syringe. What the hell was up with people and syringes? I hated needles. I always had. Wolfboy started moving toward Hayley and his werewolf friend followed. I instantly put myself in front of Hayley. Well, as well as I could.

"Get the fuck away from me, or I will kill you." I told the other dude while snapping my fangs out. I'd rather he bit me than Hayley. Klaus would heal me anyway. Who knew what damage a werewolf bite could do to a baby? Hybrid or not.

"Step away, Juliette." Tyler commanded, but I stayed where I was. When his friend tried moving me, I struggled hard against his grip. "I don't wanna hurt you."

"I won't let you touch her." I growled. SNAP! Everything went black again.

* * *

 _"Are you happy with your training?" Klaus asked Sofia with a small smile as they sat on a bench beneath an apple tree. I still didn't know where they were, but it seemed to be a couple of days after the last vision I had had._

 _"Wouldn't you like to know." Sofia chuckled, earning a small smile by Klaus. However, I could see that it wasn't genuine. I wondered of Sofia could. "I have a big advantage with my strength."_

 _"Being a farm girl isn't all that bad, then." Klaus teased. Sofia's ears flushed red behind her mass of strawberry blonde hair._

 _"Are you insinuating that being a farmgirl should be bad?" She retorted with a huff. Klaus brushed a hand through his hair with a grin, picking up red apple from the ground._

 _"Not at all, love." He spoke, before biting into the apple._

 _"Oh please. Don't you think I have spoken to the other women in your so called army?" Sofia scoffed, looking away from Klaus. "They're all upperclass fancy ladies who were to be married to dukes, had they not been terminally ill." She paused and turned back to Klaus, a new sort of vulnerability in her blue eyes. She blushed deeply before laughing it off, whatever had been on her mind._

 _"What is it?" Klaus asked, this time genuinely curious._

 _"No, it's nothing." Sofia answered, obviously ashamed at what she was thinking. The flush was still there on her creamy skin._

 _"Come on, tell me."_

 _"Well, I just… Why pick me?" She looked up at the vampire. Klaus tossed away the apple core before turning back to the flustered woman._

 _"Because I like you. I like how you speak your mind, regardless of whom you speak to." He spoke with a buttload of charm in his voice. I could see right through it, knowing Klaus for quite some time now. But obviously, Sofia couldn't. Oh poor girl. She was falling right into the trap. "You fascinate me, Sofia Thompson."_

 _"I bet you tell that to all the girls." Sofia blushed and looked away, but Klaus brought his hand to her cheek, turning her head back towards him._

 _"No. Only you."_

* * *

I awoke to Hayley shaking me by the shoulders. My first reaction was that I smelled blood, and a lot of it too. I sat up immediately and widened my eyes when I took in the sight before me. Hayley was frantically trying to tell me to grab one of the bits of broken wood a few feet away from me, blood running down her neck. She looked back and forth between me and the door with meaningful eyes, and I understood that Tyler would be back any second. I quickly lunged for the wooden stake and barely had the time to sit back into my old position when said fuckboy walked in again.

"It worked, didn't it?" Hayley asked Tyler silently, dread in her voice. "He's a hybrid." Okay, clearly, I had missed a lot. How could he be a hybrid?

"If Klaus gets a hold of you… If he gets that kid… He wins." Tyler spoke calmly. Too calm. And I didn't like the way he spoke to Hayley.

"Then help me hide the baby from him." Wai–What? Why would she want to hide from Klaus? How fucked up was their relationship, really? "Help me run."

"He'll find you. Take your kid away, and make more hybrid monsters." Tyler picked up his dagger from the floor and started walking towards us slowly. I stayed quiet this time. I figured I'd rather not want my neck to be snapped again. "Slaves who do everything he says."

"Tyler." Hayley warned, looking at the knife. I felt her nudging me slightly as he moved closer. Oh, right. I had a weapon, Now was probably the time to use it. Although I reeeeaaally didn't want to get my neck snapped again.

Alright, take one for the team. I lunged for Tyler with the wooden stake, plunging it deep into his flesh. However, I missed the heart and hit him in the stomach instead. Great job, Juliette.

"That was stupid." He sneered at me. I was just about to kick him right in the gut when he speeded over to me and bit down at my neck. I screamed out in pain as the werewolf venom penetrated my skin, burning through my veins. _Not again_. When Tyler pulled back, his eyes were full of shame.

"I'm sorry–"

"YOU DICK!" I screamed, clutching my bleeding wound. I was used to healing quickly, and that hurt like hell. "We grew up together! I'll kill you for this." Tyler backed away and moved over to Hayley. He picked up his dagger again, and started moving towards her. He was going to kill her. He was going to kill Hayley and her innocent child. Holy cow, why hadn't I called Elijah and Klaus first?


	21. Chapter 21: Something Beautiful

Just as Tyler was about to lunge for Hayley, a deep voice interrupted him.

"Get away from her." What's-his-name commanded from the doorway. Huh, I hadn't even noticed him entering. The hybrid. Who Tyler had created, apparently. I didn't know how, but judging by this whole scenario, I would think it had something to do with baby hybrid.

"What do you care?" Tyler frowned at the other hybrid. The latter looked back at him with blazing anger in his eyes.

"I said get away!" He growled. What was this? This guy had snapped my neck a while ago and helped Tyler stab Hayley with a syringe.

"You got what you wanted, now get lost!" Tyler sneered back at him.

"Dwayne, he's gonna kill me." Hayley suddenly exclaimed next to me. Dwayne's eyes flicked over to her. _Slaves who do everything he says._ Did turning someone into a hybrid let you control them? Judging by the way Dwayne had suddenly become fiercely protective over the werewolf woman, yes. "And he's gonna kill you too. He said that hybrids are too dangerous to live. You need to stop him."

"Shut up!" Tyler growled, but it was too late. Dwayne had already pulled him back and then threw him into a wall. I immediately lunged for Tyler's dagger, which lay close to my feet. I started cutting up the wires around Hayley's wrists first, while the two men fought each other.

"Save yourself. Tell Klaus I'm here." I whispered to her, knowing that I wouldn't have the time to cut myself free.

Indeed, I didn't have the time to untie my wires before Tyler had ripped out Dwayne's heart and turned to me.

"You'll regret siding with Klaus. I can promise you that." He muttered, before picking up the dagger from the floor. _Asshole_. He gave me one last glare as he stomped off after Hayley. I was left alone in the old wooden house with nothing else to do than to clutch my neck and hope for Klaus to appear.

"Come on out." Tyler called outside. I concentrated on my vamp-hearing as he kept calling for Hayley. "I'll end it quick."

"Quite an offer." I had never been so relieved to hear Klaus' british accent. I would not die today. "Although not one I'd be extended to you." That was the last thing I heard before my pulse quickened and I couldn't concentrate on one thing so fully. Strange, werewolf bites usually didn't affect vampires this quickly. Maybe hybrid bites were different, since I could already feel my blood temperature rising.

"Maybe… Maybe I should just take a nap." I whispered to myself before closing my eyes. _Oh, sweet darkness._ One second… Three seconds… Five seconds… Aaaaaand I was gone. Lights out.

* * *

"Juliette?" A nice voice was talking to me in the distance. A very nice voice. I liked that voice. It spoke my name as if I was french. "Juliette." I slowly opened my eyes again, only to realize that two people were crouching before me.

"I'm here. It's alright." The two Klauses said reassuringly, brushing away a strand of my blood stained blonde hair.

"You never told me you have a twin." I said with a little laugh, humored by the two Klauses in front of me. They didn't seem to agree with me, but they put my head in their laps anyway. "You look very funny from this angle." My voice sounded strained and hoarse when I spoke.

"Schhhh…" The Klauses comforted, before putting their wrists to their mouths and biting down. They then put them against my mouth. As the warm blood flowed into my mouth, my vision disappeared.

 _"Juliette?" Klaus asked as he opened the door to the compound. I was once again in my own body in a vision, and it felt very strange. I couldn't control anything I said or did. It was as if I was trapped in my own body. "What are you doing here?" His eyes were full of surprise and something else as he spoke._

 _"I–" I said, my voice breaking. "I still hate you. But I have nowhere to stay. I have no one." I glanced down at the duffelbag strapped across my shoulder, before looking back at the Original hybrid. He nodded at me, his blue eyes filled with tenderness and regret._

 _"I'm sorry." He said as I entered the hall. "About your friend. About Marcel. About Davina." I walked into the familiar courtyard with nothing but despair in my heart._

 _"So am I."_

I regained my vision and realized that there was only one Klaus cradling me in his lap. And he was looking at me with a softness in his eyes that made me want to squirm and look away. I was just about to break the tension between us with a joke when the hybrid's head snapped up. I listened for any sounds, and heard footsteps nearing our little cabin.

"I'll be back, love." He whispered, before standing up and walking out of the door. I sat up and realized that I was still tied up.

"Hey! You could've loosened my ties, you know!" I yelled after him, but he obviously didn't have it in his mind to free me. I slumped back against the furniture and decided to eavesdrop.

"There you are!" Klaus exclaimed. "I see you've found our wandering stray. Perhaps she could shed some light on the situation. This–" The sound of something heavy slumping to the ground. "–would appear to be the body of a hybrid."

"His name was Dwayne." Hayley retorted. Oh. So she was the wandering stray. What a nice thing to call the mother of your child.

"Well whoever he was, I didn't sire him. Any idea how that's possible?"

"As if you didn't know…" I really wished that I hadn't been out for several moments, because I had no bloody idea what they were talking about.

"Ohh… Aren't you two fast friends." Detectable jealousy in Klaus' voice. That meant that someone else was there too. Probably Elijah. "Oh, come one then. What horrible accusation have you conspired to levy against me?"

"Tyler Lockwood brought Hayley here to test a theory." Elijah spoke calmly, cold calculation in his voice. Whoah. This wasn't just a normal love triangle… Two brothers. Damn, that was intense. "That the blood of her child could be used to sire hybrids. He claims you knew that." Oooohhhh… I suddenly understood everything. Why Tyler had been so frantic. Why he had even tried to kill me for the sake of his mission. He knew that Klaus knew about the baby's special powers, and wanted Klaus to be unable to sire new hybrids. Still, not a good enough reason to freaking bite your childhood friend.

"Furthermore… You intended to use this knowledge to build an army." Elijah continued. Build an army… That rang a bell.

"And of course, you assume it's true." Klaus replied. It was buried deep into his voice, but I could hear pain in his words. I wondered what it felt like to always be on your guard with everyone. To not even be able to trust your siblings. "I mean, why else would I show any interest in my own flesh and blood?" Thick irony in his voice. "A heartbroken little crybaby points his finger at me, and my own brother falls in line, eager to believe it! How quickly you assume the worst. Especially when it comes from _her."_

"Oh spare me your indignation. When have you ever demonstrated _any_ kind of concern towards Hayley, or her child, beyond your selfish pursuits!" Elijah shot back angrily. Even though I was tied up, I had to admit that this drama was a teeny tiny bit entertaining. This family was like the Kardashians, for God's sake. "And what was it you once said to me? _Every king needs an heir."_

"My big brother. So you doubt my intentions… Well, I can't say I'm surprised. Standing beside the noble Elijah, how can I be anything but the lesser brother? _A liar._ Manipulator. Bastard." Klaus' voice wavered slightly, revealing his pain and sadness. Even though a big part of me still thought he was an annoying prick, I got a strange urge to hug him. "That's all I am to you, isn't it? And to Rebekah? And judging by the way Hayley depends on your every word, it's clear that she feels the same way. No doubt my child will as well."

"Brother, if–"

"We have said all that needs to be said, brother." Klaus sneered. "I'll play the role I've been given." Just when I thought it was over, the sound of teeth against flesh and Elijah screaming filled the air. Shit, had Klaus bitten him? "You two enjoy each other's company. You'll have much to bond over once the hallucinations and dementia set in. Consider that bite my parting gift to you both." I heard footsteps starting to walk away. Hey! He was supposed to come back to get me! I didn't want to be stuck out in the bayou with Elijah and Hayley. I was still mad at that bastard for nearly strangling me.

"Oh right! I forgot." Klaus suddenly exclaimed. Within half a second, he was by my side, and the wires around my hands were ripped off. He then picked me up and _threw me over his shoulder._

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I exclaimed, trying to wriggle free of his grasp. He carried me out of the shed, and I faced a very shocked Elijah and Hayley.

"You're coming with me." Klaus simply said, before carrying me away.

* * *

I slumped down in the car seat of the black SUV and enjoyed the feeling of the soft leather. Klaus got in the driver's seat and started the engine. I opened my mouth, but stopped myself when I saw just how furious Klaus looked.

"I would've come willingly, you know." I told him, raising my brows at him. "I owe you one for saving my life."

Silence. Klaus kept his eyes on the road with a clenched jaw. I watched the trees pass by the windows, getting the hint that my companion didn't feel like talking. My thoughts drifted to Marcel. What would he think of me going out alone on a stupid rescue mission? I had to agree, the smarter option would've been to go back to the compound and tell Klaus and Elijah what I knew. On the other hand, the time that I saved going alone could have been vital for Hayley's survival. But I know that I have a tendency to act rash when I get an idea. I'm working on it, kay?

"Did you kill him?" I asked Klaus suddenly, turning back to look at him. Klaus' eyes met mine for a split second. "Tyler?"

"He wanted to die. Killing him would have meant doing him a favor." He muttered, once again keeping his eyes on the road. "So I let him live, knowing that he is only alive because I want him to be."

"Good. Although I wouldn't have minded getting back at him for biting me."

"I didn't know you were from Mystic Falls." Klaus stated with curiosity. "My family made a stop there. Got to know a few of your friends. One of them, Tyler."

"Yeah, I heard you made him into the first hybrid." I raised my brows at the Original with a scoff. "God, my best friend Caroline and I had such a crush on him when we were in fourth grade. The biggest fight we ever had was when he only came to my birthday party and not hers." I let out a small chuckle, but the air had gone tense between us.

"Caroline?" Did I only imagine the slight waver in Klaus' voice?

"Yeah. She befriended me the day I came to Mystic Falls, and we remained best friends until I left town." I scrunched my brows at him. "Why, do you know her?"

"You could say that." A small smile played on his lips. "So, you're engaged." He changed the topic.

"And you're going to be a father." I answered, not really up for talking about my relationship with Marcel with Klaus. "How did you and Hayley meet?" I actually forced some genuine curiosity and kindness into my voice, even though the thought of Klaus in a happy family made me want to barf.

Klaus looked at me for a few long seconds before breaking into a laugh, his dimples very visible on his cheeks.

"You seem to be under the impression that Hayley and I are in a relationship, love." He shook his head slowly. "Hayley and I shared one heated night in Mystic Falls, and then she was pregnant. The witches brought us both here together to tell me that I was to be a father." My heart jumped slightly and I'm pretty sure a blush spread across my cheeks for some reason.

"Oh…" I answered, shying away from his blue gaze. I was still reminded every second of how hot Klaus Mikaelson was, and I felt like I was mentally cheating on my fiancée. "So why does the whole Hayley and Elijah thing bug you so much then?" Oh God. I just did it again. The thing I had been so very famous for in my circle of friends in Mystic Falls. Thinking out loud. Not having a filter.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry, it's just… I have a hard time understanding you, Klaus." I dared to meet his gaze, and the Original peered at me through his blonde eyelashes. He seemed to contemplate whether or not to say anything before slowly breaking into a smile.

"That's the mystery of me, love." He grinned, but I saw the ghost of pain flash by his eyes. "Let's not speak of such sinister things now." He looked back at the road, slightly tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

"Sure." I smiled. "Do you mind if I turn on the radio?"

"Not at all."

I rewarded Klaus with a grin before pressing the 'on' button on the radio. The song that filled the air was 'Hot 'n Cold' by Katy Perry, and I resisted singing out loud to it. Somehow, singing in the presence of only one person was more intimidating than singing in front of a whole crowd. I know I'm cuckoo, but yeah… As you might know by now, my mind works in strange ways.

"You're hot and you're cold…" I softly started singing, turning my face away from Klaus. Perhaps that would muffle the sound a bit. I just couldn't hold it in. "You're yes then you're no…" The volume of the music increased, and I turned to Klaus in surprise. His hand was on the volume button. He grinned at me. He didn't need to say it, I could see everything in his eyes.

"You're in then you're out, you're up then you're down!" I continued singing, louder this time, and not tearing my eyes away from Klaus. My walls were down, and that's how they stayed for the rest of the car ride. Because I was singing my lungs out while Klaus was watching me with a mixture of fascination and disbelief. The warmth I could still see in his eyes made my heart flutter, but I ignored it just for that car ride. He had saved my life, and I was thankful.

* * *

The door to Rousseau's rang its bell as I closed it behind me, and I felt an unreal kind of peace settle down on me. Especially when I noticed Marcel on the stage, and heard his voice fill the room. With a small smile, I made my way to the bar, while listening to the song.

" _Here I stand_

 _Taking off my pride_  
 _And I run with nowhere to hide_  
 _I'm exposed flaws and all_  
 _You're still here and that's something beautiful.._ "

I dumped my bag behind the counter after mouthing a silent hello to Cami, who was pouring up a drink to a big lumberjack who kept staring down her black shirt. When she was done, she walked up to me, where I was putting my apron on.

"You know, I heard a rumour about an engagement… Any idea who it's about?" She teased with a wide smile. Her blonde hair was curled into perfect locks, reminding me of Caroline's amazing hair. While I had been the lazy one who only sprayed some salt spray in my waves, she had always gone up early in the mornings to curl hers. Still, I had envied that angel hair.

"Hmmm… I don't know…" I said, squinting. I lifted the hand with the ruby ring on it and waved it in front of my face. "Could it be this?"

"Say what you will about Marcel…" Cami shot a glance at Marcel, who grinned at me above the piano. "But that is one beautiful ring."

"I know!" I screeched in a high pitch, before actually remembering that I had standards, and a reputation to withhold. _Seriously, Julie._

"'Sup, bitches?" A familiar southern drawl filled the air, and I turned around to meet Roxy's heavily makeuped face. She had a cocktail in her hand, and I was almost a hundred percent sure that she was currently tying the cherry cord with her tongue.

"If it would've been anyone else but you calling us that, I would have kicked your ass." I chuckled at my red-haired friend.

"Whatever. I still think 'bitch' is a compliment."

"Dude, it literally means 'female dog'. It's incredibly degrading." I raised my brows at her, taking a sip of her drink. We always did that to each other. No biggie.

"You think so? I like dogs. Dogs are cute." Roxy gave me a devilish grin, and I rolled my eyes in response. I saw something out of the corner of my eyes and noticed that Cami had gone over to another customer. She still hadn't quite warmed up to Roxy.

"Seriously though…" I leaned closer to the gothic vampire, looking over her shoulder. "Do you see that man on the stage?" Roxy turned around and squinted her brown eyes at Marcel.

"That tall, handsome, charming prince behind the piano?" She spoke with a smile across her face.

"Yeah that one." I nodded at her, biting my lip. "Well he's my fiancée!" As Roxy rolled her eyes at my childish glee, I once again listened to Marcel singing and playing the piano.

 _"If I fall crash down to my knees_  
 _You pick me up, running to my needs_  
 _Even if I'm wrong with no one to call you're still here_  
 _And that's something beautiful."_

"How did he propose?" My friend asked while taking the last swig of her cocktail. She made a small pout before signaling Cami to make her a second one.

"Simple. Small speech about how amazing I am and how I'm his queen… But I tell you, he was very convincing."

"And then you had sex after." Roxy shrugged, and I gaped, caught off guard.

"Howd– How did you know that?" I asked, ignoring the deep blush spreading across my cheeks. The red haired vampire put down her empty glass and looked at me with skeptical eyes.

"Girl, I think the whole compound heard the two of you. Especially you." _Heheheheheeee…._

"Speaking of which…" I diverted the attention from my sex life to Roxy's instead, like the great friend I was. "Who was that girl in your bed?"

"Just a girl I've been seeing." My friend shrugged, turning away from me. I couldn't help but shake my head at her. She always did this as soon as she started caring about someone. She pretended that they were no one until she was madly in love with them.

"A girl that's sitting right over there in the corner, not taking her eyes off of you?" I bumped Roxy's shoulder with a teasing laugh. This time, it was her cheeks that flushed a burgundy shade. "She's really pretty."

"Oh yeah. You have noooo idea how great she is in bed." Roxy laughed, before licking her mouth, not tearing her eyes away from the girl in the back.

"Okay, okay…" I patted her shoulder. "I'm still straight, sadly."

"I know… Judging by the way you sounded last night, I would've loved to shag you." I let out a surprised scoff and gaped before swatting her on the arm playfully.

"Rox! Anyway… You should go and see her." I nudged Roxy in the shoulder.

"And _you_ should go work."

"Yeah, yeah." I muttered, sighing to myself before going back behind the counter. Although I had to admit, the following half hour… Well, I did a lot of gazing at my fiancée dreamily and a little working.

* * *

The second Tyler Lockwood stepped in through the door, my hand was around his throat.

"You." I growled in his face, baring my fangs at him. As I looked into the hybrid's indifferent eyes, I felt an arm ensnare my waist.

"Julie." Marcel whispered in my ear. "Calm down." I squeezed Tyler's throat extra hard one more time, before reluctantly letting him down from the wall I had pressed him up to. I backed away from him and joined Marcel's side, not taking my narrowed eyes off of him.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Marcel asked the hybrid, a little more kindly than I had. Well, he hadn't been bitten by him.

"Tyler Lockwood. The first hybrid to have been made by Klaus Mikaelson. I am here to tell you how to destroy him."


	22. Chapter 22: A Monster Like Me

**"** If you wanna make a deal with me, you gotta offer me something. I already know about Hayley, the werewolf girl." Marcel spoke, while I kept wiping the counter where I stood. This was the first time Cami had ever let me take the latest shift at the bar, and I was supposed to take care of it as well. Even though I'd rather smack Tyler Lockwood in the face, I had a job to do. Didn't stop me from eavesdropping, though.

"What else you got?" The vampire king of New Orleans continued, peering at the hybrid from over the table. Damien stood next to him, arms crossed. Not that Marcel actually needed a bodyguard. Personally, I think it was just for style. Made him look more powerful.

"What if I tell you that werewolf girl is carrying Klaus's child?" Tyler spoke, awfully smug. My blood ran cold. Oh no. Shit, I should have just killed my old friend the second he came into the bar. "And if that baby is born, it'll mean the end of the vampire species." Wow. Wolfboy reeeaaally had a deathwish. Not only did Klaus let him live with a warning, but he chose to also side with Klaus's enemy. Stupid, if you ask me. While Marcel nodded slowly in acceptance at Tyler's words, I felt sweat prickle my skin. I was in a very compromising situation. On one side, I had Marcel, my fiancée. On the other, I had an evil hybrid, soon to be the father of an innocent child. Marcel didn't know that I knew about Hayley's pregnancy.

"I'll tell you what. Come to this address tomorrow at 10, and tell us everything you know." With a smile, Marcel outstretched his hand and gave Tyler his card.

"Hey! Bartender!" A girl in her thirties-something called out, and I sighed before walking over to the other side of the bar.

"Could I have another one of these?" She pointed at her margarita with a sloppy smile, smudged mascara under her eyes.

"Actually, I'm closing up in five minutes." I told her after checking my phone for the time 3:55 a.m. I really needed to get some sleep. I looked back at the woman, who was leaning tiredly on the counter. Her alabaster neck was exposed, and my eyes suddenly focused on the pulsating vein. A familiar sort of hunger started growing in my stomach, and a tingling sensation appeared under my eyes. Now that I thought of it, I hadn't fed in almost two days.

"Excuse me." I told the sleepy shape before walking away, already untying my apron.

Marcel grinned at me as I walked up to him, placing a soft peck on my lips.

"Ready to close up?"

"Yeah. Could we stop for a hunt on the way home?" I asked, the itching feeling of my fangs wanting to snap out already annoying me. Marcel nodded, before speaking up.

"Hey, everyone! The abr is closing. Get your drunk asses home." Groans and sighs were heard through the room, but people started packing up.

* * *

"Wanna tell me why you were so angry at Tyler?" Marcel asked me as he slumped down on the bed, his brown eyes peering at me from where I had already buried myself in the covers. My heart beat quickly in my chest as I willed my face to stay indifferent. I wanted to tell Marcel everything that had happened that day so bad, but… I had a feeling that telling him that I had risked my life to save a baby I wasn't supposed to know about wasn't the best start to our new engagement. _Quick, Juliette. Make something up._

"I grew up with him. He's from Mystic Falls. I saw a vision of him sometime ago breaking my former best friend's heart. I don't talk to her anymore, but… She didn't deserve that." It wasn't entirely a lie. Two years earlier, I had had a run in with an old friend from Mystic Falls, Parker Lewis, here in New Orleans. She had informed me of a few things that had happened in my hometown after my leave. One of them was that Tyler and Caroline had something going on.

"Do you miss your old life?" Marcel asked me, turning around to slump down on his back. He entwined his fingers on his bare stomach, and looked up at the ceiling. I watched him in silent contemplation, trying to understand what I was feeling.

"Sometimes. My life was quite boring and I didn't have a lot of people to care about. But still, I miss Caroline at times. And my parents, however annoying they were." I chuckled, slumping down on my back as well.

"Have you heard anything more about your mom?" Marcel's voice was soft and caring as I watched the stars painted on the navy blue ceiling. I had been the one to insist on adding them. I have always loved stars, and I thought that it would help me to calm down after my nightly visions.

"Not yet. I don't know if that's good or bad. It probably means she's still in a coma." I sighed. However, my heart didn't ache a lot. In some twisted way, I felt like I had got my closure when I had visited her in the hospital.

"You okay?" Marcel turned to face me again, brushing his hand softly against my cheek. I smiled up at him, my heart fluttering.

"Strangely, yes. But thank you for asking." He smiled and I put his arm around me before turning around, shielding my back with his body. "I don't know what I would do without you, Marcel."

"I love you." He whispered into my ear, his strong arms keeping me in his warm embrace. With that, I softly drifted off to sleep with a smile on my face.

* * *

 _Two people were fighting in the same big hall where Klaus had had his first gathering with his soldiers. One of them I recognized as Rachel, and the other one as the trainer, Emmanuel. Rachel was moving around Emmanuel with a surprising speed, managing to land blow after blow. They danced and teased each other with childish glee, and I instantly noted the spark between them. Finally, Rachel managed to beat Emmanuel and kept him straddled on the ground._

 _"Hah!" She exclaimed with a grin, lowering her head closer to the man. He smiled back at her, clear adoration in his brown eyes. His tan skin had a slight flush to it, and only now did I realize how handsome he was. Rachel seemed to notice it too, judging by the way her eyes traveled down to his lips and then up again._

 _"Tu m'affoles." He whispered. I knew the french language well enough to understand what he said. 'You drive me crazy'. Before I knew it, Emmanuel lifted his head and pressed his lips against Rachel's. She stiffened at first, before melting into the kiss. I felt like I was watching something waaayyy too private, but there was no way to get out of there. And so I had to watch as the couple sat up, and Emmanuel's arms went around Rachel's waist. Her blonde hair fell over her face like a curtain, and the man pulled away to brush it aside from her face._

 _"He cannot know about us." She stammered, her voice breaking. I saw fear in her brown eyes, as well as guilt. "He would kill you."_

 _"Then let's not tell him anything." Emmanuel replied, tenderness in his gaze. "But know that I love you, even if it is in secret."_

 _"I know. I love you too."_

* * *

"Marcel gave me a daylight ring." Roxy told me as I settled down next to her in my favorite red armchair the next morning, a couple of minutes to ten. I turned to her with a beam.

"That's wonderful! Why?"

"He told me he was convinced that I would've won fight night if it hadn't been for that dickhead Klaus Mikaelson and his brother." Roxy spoke, brushing a hand through her curled bright red hair. I locked eyes with Marcel across the courtyard filled with daywalkers, and he gave me a small smile. I mouthed a silent 'thank you' before turning back to Roxy.

"He's right. But that's really great news! Now I can spend some time with you during the days too. And, you don't have to lie to your girlfriend anymore."

"Girlfriend?! Jeez, we've only been to a couple dates!" Roxy rolled her eyes, but I saw her blush, and nudged her playfully in the shoulder. When a throat was cleared in the courtyard, I turned to scan the room. Everyone was looking up at Marcel, including Tyler, who had taken residence at the bar. Apparently, he found it suitable for him to pour himself a drink, eleven in the morning. In my home.

"All right. Let's do this." Marcel spoke loudly to get everyone's attention. "I'll keep this simple. This kid is an old enemy of your favorite person Klaus. And he's got plenty to say about what that traitor son-of-a-bitch has been up to behind my back. Now, for those of you faint of heart, there's the door. Because those who stick around, you're signing up for battle." Marcel eyed every single one of us, while I started panicking internally. WHY, WHY, WHY had I decided to play both sides again? Because I thought Klaus was pretty and liked his accent?

When no one spoke up or left, Marcel nodded at Tyler to let him speak.

"You all know Klaus wasn't always the hybrid. When he broke the curse that kept his werewolf side dormant, somewhere in all that, certain parts were now able to trump his vampire side." Tyler settled down in the sofa in front of me, and I managed to give him a forced smile. This information was actually quite interesting. It wasn't as if I had asked Klaus about these things. "Like the ability to pass on the werewolf gene. That's where the werewolf girl he's been hiding from you all comes in. She rode through my town, pretended to be my friend, and then ended up hooking up with him. Now, she's pregnant with his kid." Ohhh.. There we had it. Tyler and Hayley's history.

"What the hell is this?" Diego shot out with a laugh. I agreed with him, the whole business felt like a reality show.

"Just listen." Marcel silenced him.

"When Klaus became the hybrid," Tyler continued. "– he figured out a way to turn full-bred werewolves into creatures like him." He raised his hand. "You're looking at one of them. On the plus side, we had all the perks of being vampires. We were stronger. Faster. And, the toxins in our bites could still kill a vampire. But on the downside, we were loyal to him. Like, supernaturally loyal." That was what he had been speaking about when he had told Hayley about Klaus's hybrid slaves.

"That explains you being here." I scoffed, giving him a sarcastic smile. "You're _obviously_ supernaturally loyal to Klaus." Marcel pinned his eyes on me with annoyance, and I rolled my eyes.

"I broke free from it. And I helped the rest of them too. Then Klaus killed them for their betrayal." My blood ran cold. Sometimes, I forgot that Klaus was a cold blooded murderer. Not that I wasn't, but I had never killed for fun.

The sound of heels echoing against the stone floor drove my attention to a blonde head entering the courtyard.

"What is she doing here?" I asked Marcel with a clenched jaw. If he was planning to plot against Klaus with wolfboy, it probably wasn't a good idea to invite Klaus's sister to the party. Rebekah smiled falsely at me and cocked her head to the side, before turning to Tyler.

"Don't mind me. I'm fascinated by this story. Hello, Tyler." She spoke, and Tyler nodded.

"Rebekah. Long time no see." So they knew each other too. How nice.

"What Tyler was about to tell you is that my brother can use his baby's blood to sire more hybrids. What you will all figure out is that vampires don't stand a chance. So, Tyler, I assume you were trying to rally this lot into making sure the baby isn't born."

"Yeah. You don't like it? Go ahead and take your brother's side. But you know I'm right." Tyler snapped back at her, his brown eyes sending daggers at the blonde Original. Marcel shook his head with annoyance.

"I believe you've mistaken the lady's intentions." He told Tyler. _The lady, huh?_ Anger started boiling in my veins when I realized that Marcel had invited Rebekah there. Because it meant that they'd been keeping contact.

"I already have a headache." I groaned silently to Roxy and rubbed my temples, and she nodded before mouthing a silent 'me too'.

"You were absolutely right, Tyler. My brother is a crap enough individual as it is. The last thing he needs is to sire a superior species." She turned and gave Marcel a small secretive smile that made me want to gag. "Go on, you can tell them."

"She's not here to fight us. She's here to _help_ us." Marcel said, and Rebekah turned to the group with a smile.

"That's right, but first…" She started. Then, in a blur, she speeded over to Tyler and snapped his neck. It made me just a _fraction_ less angry with her. "Enough talk about harming that baby. Klaus is the one we're putting a stop to."

* * *

"If you think you can beat Klaus, you're absolutely out of your mind." I told Marcel as he dropped Tyler's body down in the Garden.

"Come on. I have an army." He crossed his arms with a confident grin. My eyes flicked over to where Rebekah was standing, a few feet away from us, picking her nails. But I knew she was listening.

"And he's immortal. You haven't seen him in action, Marcel." I begged with desperation. I didn't want Marcel in the same room as a furious Klaus. This was a suicide mission.

"And you have?" My fiancée narrowed his eyes at me, and I opened my mouth to speak, but stopped myself.

"He will kill you. And before he does that, he'll kill anyone that gets in his way." I argued, crossing my arms too. Diego and Sam walked by to pick up Tyler's body, dragging it away.

"He won't kill me."

"Oh, really? Because as far as I know, Klaus will kill anyone who betrays him. Just look at Rebekah, _his own sister,_ who was daggered for a hundred years thanks to him." Rebekah's head snapped up, but she looked down again.

"Why are you so convinced that Klaus would win?" Marcel sighed after a few moments of silence, hurt flashing by his eyes. "I thought you would believe in me more than that."

"I do, I just…"

"I'm done talking about this. Apparently, you have more faith in Klaus than me. Well, then so be it." Marcel threw his hands in the air while clenching his jaw. Anger sparked in my heart.

"Excuse me? Who went and called his sister? Who you _insisted_ that you had no contact with?" I exclaimed, narrowing my eyes at my soon-to-be husband.

"Rebekah's a helpful resource in this plan." I could see Rebekah grinning at us from the corner of my eye. _Smug bitch._

"That doesn't make up for the fact that you've been talking to her."

"Well, she came to me." Marcel snapped back, anger now flashing in his eyes. "But that's not the point here. The point is that I'm doing this, whether you want me to or not."

"Then I want no part of this suicide mission. If you're gonna attack Klaus, whatever. But you'll be doing it without me." I snapped, before storming out of the cave. _Fuck him._

* * *

I leaned against the railing, looking over the Mississippi river. Thousands of thoughts were swirling around in my head.

"What am I doing?" I whispered to myself as a bike passed by behind me. I was lying to the man that was to be my husband, for the sake of another man. A man who I had some kind of feelings for, but feelings I couldn't put my finger on. He had always been kind to me… But he was a monster. Everything pointed to it. The hybrids he had killed… Thierry… Whatever he had done to Sofia and Rachel.

But then there was the whole thing with Marcel and Rebekah. Of course I trusted him, but I couldn't shake the feeling that he hadn't been completely honest when it came to Rebekah. It sent a spark of jealousy in me that made me nauseous. And he'd been so adamant to have her in on the plan today. Doubtless they were keeping each other company right in that moment.

"So many lies…" I looked up at the sun, who was temporarily hiding behind a small cloud. Some part of me wished that Marcel would succeed with the plan that night, yet… It was hard to imagine what it would be like in New Orleans if Klaus would be gone. Without his never ending teasing and his british accent. It would probably be peaceful. But... empty.

"Wait…" I turned around and frowned at the ground. I had had multiple visions with Klaus in them, in the future. Which meant that he wasn't meant to die today. As far as I knew, you couldn't change fate. But if that was the case, then it meant so many life-changing things. It meant that I would eventually fall in love with Klaus. That Davina and Marcel would die. I was not ready for any of that to happen.

My life would have been so much simpler if I would've stayed in Mystic Falls. Well, besides from the fact that I would've been dead. At least I wouldn't have been chased by two ancient vampires who were out to enslave me and use me for my powers. Speaking of which… Where the hell were Rachel and Sofia? I had completely forgotten that they were after me when I had stomped out on Marcel. But yet around me, there was nothing but the sound of people living their ignorant, petty, calm lives.

Shit, what was I going to do? Marcel was going to attack Klaus. If I warned Klaus, there was a risk that he would hurt Marcel. Or, there was a slight chance that he wouldn't come, sparing both Marcel and the other vampires there.

Holy crap. I just remembered. The vision I had had when I had first come to New Orleans. Klaus killing people. One of them was Roxy. Shit. I needed to stop him. Or that vision would come true that night.

* * *

"Okay.. Let's get this straight." I told Klaus, who was pouring himself a glass of bourbon over by the drink table."When I came here to warn you, it was so that you _wouldn't_ walk into the trap."

"What trap, love?" Klaus replied, reaching out a glass to me. I reluctantly accepted it, even though I was mentally freaking out. Perhaps the strong liquid would calm my nerves. "I'm the Original hybrid. I'm immortal."

"But Marcel has an army." I chuckled nervously, settling down on Klaus's leather couch. My gaze drifted past the paintings and decorative vases, finally landing on a familiar brunette entering the room."Hi Hayley."

"Hi…" She said with uncertainty. "What's going on here?"

"Marcel has planned a coup to take down Klaus and said _idiot_ is gonna walk right into it." I answered with a cock of my head, looking at Klaus meaningly. Hayley furrowed her brows and followed my gaze to the hybrid.

"You know what? I don't even wanna know." She sighed and walked across the room to the opposite door. Just before exiting through the white door frame, she turned around. "Nice to see you, Juliette."

"Likewise." I smiled, before pinning my eyes on Klaus again. "Seriously, though. You cannot go." Klaus settled down on the plush white leather armchair in front of me and placed his glass on the table before throwing his hands up in the air with a content laugh.

"Why not? Marcel wants a fight. He'll get one." A shrug. Huh, as simple as that. A shrug. "What I wonder is rather why _you_ came here to warn me. I'd have thought you would love to live out your life here with Marcel without me." Klaus winked and took a sip of the golden liquid in his glass. His gaze burned on my skin.

"I uhm–" I started, suddenly flustered. I looked down at my glass for comfort, just to realize that all of the alcohol was gone. _Damn it._ "I don't want Marcel or my friends to get hurt."

"So that's the only reason." Klaus raised his brows at me, his blue gaze intense. The air seemed to get tense between us as he watched me. Something inside me fluttered wildly.

"Yes." I answered, but I'm pretty sure my eyes said the direct opposite. Klaus seemed to notice that too, but let it go.

"Well, this has been a nice little chat, love. However, I must go and retrieve a certain dagger from a man I thought was my friend." He stood up, leaving the glass on the table. I foolowed abruptly and grabbed his arm.

"Klaus, wait–" I stammered, and he stopped to look at me. The smugness was gone, replaced by surprise and gentleness. "Please don't go. Either way, someone I care about get hurt. You or Marcel." There, I said it. I cared about Klaus. That bastard grows on you, I tell you.

"I'm sorry, love." There was genuine regret in Klaus's eyes as he looked down at my hand, which was gripping his arm. "Some things have to be done."

And then he was gone. In the flash of a second. I was left baffled, not knowing what to do with myself. I couldn't follow Klaus to the massacre. Which side would I stand on? The one attacking him, or defending him?

* * *

As I entered the compound, there was an eerie silence in the courtyard. There was no one in sight. At least that's what I thought, until I saw the bodies on the floor. I couldn't help but let out a gasp as I counted them. One, two, three… Ten, eleven, twelve… Twenty one, twenty two, twenty three. And I knew them all. I had seen their faces every day for the past three years.

It was when I found a familiar redhead that it hit me. I had seen this before. In a dream, three years ago. A dream I hadn't told anyone about out of pure stupidity. One careful step after another, stepping over bodies, and I finally reached the twisted shape of my friend's body.

"Roxy…" I whispered, as I knelt next to her. There was a gaping hole in her chest where her heart should have been, and blood had seeped along the wound. I didn't even bother looking for her heart as I cradled her in my arms. Her chocolate skin had taken an ashy tone, and her eyes were shut. Had I known better, I might have thought that she was sleeping. But she wasn't. She was dead. And I knew very well who had killed her.

"Juliette?" Marcel's voice echoed behind me, and I turned around. His eyes were rimmed with red, and I realized that mine must have looked the same. I peered back at Roxy, unmoving and stale in my arms. My best friend…

"Wh–what happened?" I asked my fiancée as he put his hand on my back, already sobbing. I rarely showed my emotions like this, but Marcel had seen every part of me. The good and the bad.

"He fell in the trap. But we underestimated him." Marcel looked down at Roxy, pain visible in his face. He had known her longer than I had. "Klaus killed twenty three of us before I had to pledge allegiance to him. To make it stop."

Silent tears were running down Marcel's face. His eyes were full of hate, loss and sorrow. The same emotions that poisoned the blood in my veins.

"Roxy fought well, but… Klaus was stronger." He finished, and I let out a small cry of pain. I stroke her red hair one last time before looking up at Marcel.

"You have to burn her body. She told me a while ago that she would rather get burnt to ash then be eaten by maggots."

I let anger replace the hollow sadness as I stood up.

"Where is he?" I asked Marcel, removing any trace of crying in my voice. Crossing my arms, I watched him set his jaw. "Klaus."

Contemplation filled Marcel's eyes. Normally, he would've told me that it was a bad idea. That I was putting myself in unnecessary danger. That I would regret it. But I had never seen Marcel this destroyed.

"He's in our bedroom. Moving in." I didn't even grant myself the time to wonder at what that would mean as I sped up to the familiar door. I barged in without knocking, red already framing my vision. Klaus didn't have a chance to react as I charged on him, knocking him down on the floor. I straddled him and started punching him in the face while screaming.

"YOU!" His nose made a cracking noise. Why wasn't he fighting back? My knuckles connected with his right cheekbone. He was lying strangely still under me.

"You killed her!" I screamed, landing blow after blow. Blood now ran down his nose, and from a few cuts on his forehead and cheekbones. "You killed my best friend!" Another blow, and my left hand was now starting to hurt.

"You… You killed her. I came to warn you because I actually cared about you! AND YOU KILLED HER!" I cried, realizing that tears were running down my face. Klaus was looking up at me with some sort of remorse in his eyes, blood streaming down his face. Why wasn't he fighting back?

"Fight back!" I exclaimed. I wanted him to hurt me. I wanted to feel any other pain than the one I was feeling in my heart. "Fight back, you fucking–" Klaus' hand shot up and grabbed my left wrist, that I had started to lift to land another blow. He watched me in silence as I involuntarily broke into sobs.

"She's dead…" I hulked. "Roxy's dead.." The sound of my whimpering voice faded as I tried to breathe. I was hyperventilating, and it felt as if all the air had left my lungs.

"Juliette…" I opened my eyes as Klaus reached out his hand to put on my shoulder. I instinctively recoiled. "I–"

"No." I sneered at him as I speeded up from the floor, feeling the red veins under my eyes appear and my fangs snap out. "You don't get to play the comforting hero in this, Klaus." I watched him get up on his feet and look at me expressionlessly. The face which I had come to think handsome was nothing more than a target.

"This is your fault. You killed my best friend." I took one step towards him, then another. Finally, I was standing close enough to Klaus that our noses were almost touching. I felt him stiffen as I leaned in towards his ear.

"I hate you, Klaus Mikaelson." I whispered. He seemed to stop breathing. "You're nothing more than a sadistic, selfish monster." I pulled back and marveled at his hurt expression before speeding out of the room.


	23. Chapter 23: Paralyzed

I laid awake that night, looking at the unfamiliar dark red ceiling of Marcel's old room. He slept soundly next to me, snoring slightly. Meanwhile, I was trying to feel some kind of emotion. It was difficult. My heart seemed to be filled with a dark emptiness. I wasn't even angry at Klaus. I wasn't sad. I was nothing. And so I kept looking up at the ceiling.

I didn't notice when the sun came up, and Marcel started shuffling around in the bed. He didn't say anything. I didn't say anything. But I felt him watching me. Finally, he got up and dressed, and left the room. He understood that I needed some time to think.

I think I fell asleep somewhere between noon and three p.m, but all I saw in my dreams was blood and death. Images of Roxy, dead and lifeless on the floor.

"Juliette? Sweetie?" Marcel came around a few hours later, probably. All I knew was that it was dark outside. He gently tapped my shoulder and spoke softly in my ear. "Klaus has called for a dinner feast."

"Okay."

"Are you coming down with me?"

"Sure." I mumbled, before sitting up and getting out of bed in almost robotic movements. Grabbed a lilac tank top, a pair of jeans. Brushed my hair. Followed Marcel down to the courtyard, where a big table had been set for a feast. Sat down next to Marcel and stared straight ahead of me.

I'm pretty sure that Klaus started speaking about his new rule over New Orleans, but I wasn't listening to him. I wouldn't grant him that privilege. Not until Marcel grabbed my hand did I snap out of it and listen to a few words Klaus said.

"After a thousand years, one might expect life to be less keenly felt, for its beauties and sorrows to diminish with time. But as vampires, we feel more deeply than humans could possibly imagine." With those words, my vision went blurry before disappearing completely, all sounds muffled.

 _"Hello, love." Medieval Klaus walked up to Rachel, who was once again painting. This time, she was standing next to the same apple tree under which Klaus and Sofia had sat in another vision. The blonde vampire glanced up and gave the Original a greeting smile. "Painting again?"_

 _"I found this day too beautiful not to paint." Rachel looked down at the painting again, while I tried to figure out where I could place this moment. Was it before or after the vision with her and the trainer? I doubted my visions came in chronological order, though._

 _"You're quite right about that." Klaus smiled. The same fascination I often saw in his eyes when he watched me in present time was there, which was not a good sign. "May I see, love?" The sun shone against Klaus's leather coat, and it wasn't until then I realized that there was spots of blood on the white shirt underneath. Rachel didn't question him._

 _"That would ruin the mystery, wouldn't it, my lord?" She teased with a secretive smile, continuing to paint light strokes with her brush._

 _"I cannot argue with that." The Original sat down on the bench and clapped his hands together. "I fancy myself a painter too."_

 _"You do?" He did? Rachel seemed as surprised as I was in that moment, and looked up from her painting. "What do you paint, then, my lord?"_

 _"Things I deem beautiful." Klaus' gaze drifted over to the blonde again, warmth in his blue eyes. "Whether it is the sunset, the sea…" He stood up and walked over to Rachel slowly, looking deep into her eyes. "Your eyes."_

 _"What about my eyes, my lord?" Rachel stood her ground, and she didn't blush. Oh… I saw it now. She was afraid of him. Even though she was masking it quite well, I could see it. In the way she was shaking slightly, how she had glanced past his shoulder several times when he hadn't been looking._

 _"Your two great eyes will slay me suddenly;_

 _Their beauty shakes me who was once serene;_

 _Straight through my heart the wound is quick and keen." Klaus spoke softly, raising his hand to brush aside a lock of Rachel's perfectly curled blonde hair. He towered over her, not letting her look away from his blue eyes. This was something entirely different from what had been exchanged between him and Sofia._

 _"Geoffrey Chaucer." The blonde spoke, breaking the silence and Klaus's gaze. She went back to her painting, seemingly unaffected by his attempts to woo her._

 _"One of my favorite poets." Klaus grinned, obviously not set back by her dismissal. The thrill of the chase, as they said. "Tell me, love. Would you let me paint your eyes one day?"_

I snapped back to present time to find everyone staring at Klaus with wide mouths.

"To New Orleans." Diego said to my right. Everyone lifted their cups to toast. I didn't. I kept my eyes pinned on Klaus defiantly, not moving an inch. His gaze locked with mine, but his blue eyes were impossible to read.

"I understand some of you might have questions regarding the recent change in leadership." Klaus spoke, shifting his attention back to the others. Mainly Marcel. "And I invited you here tonight to assure you that you are not defeated. No, my intentions moving forward are to celebrate what we have." He moved closer to Marcel, wariness in his voice. "What Marcel in fact took…" He patted my fiancé on the shoulder. "And built, into this. A true community of vampires."

"What about her? The wolf?" Diego said, and that's when I finally turned to look at Hayley, seated at the end of the table. I didn't want to see her. She was the only reason that I wasn't attacking Klaus. Even though we might not have been friends, she'd been nice to me. Nevertheless, her kind gaze was a reminder that my friend was gone.

"Had you let me finish, Diego, you would know that there is of course one further matter I would like to address." Klaus smirked slightly as he strode over to Hayley, brushing close to me as if taunting me. I had to take a deep breath not to explode. "As many of you know," The hybrid looked down at the seemingly annoyed werewolf for a split second. "–the girl is carrying my child. Consequently, I trust that you will all pay her the appropriate respect." Oh, so now he wanted to be nice. What a hypocrite, what a _fucking_ hypocrite– Oh God, how angry I was. Just looking at that his chiseled face contorted into a proud smile was enough to make me clench my fists.

I stood up abruptly after a flashing picture of Roxy's dead body had popped back into my head. Marcel's hand immediately reached for my arm, but I ripped it away from him. The whole table went silent. I couldn't let myself speak, or I knew I wouldn't stop screaming at Klaus. So I stared down his frown for a few seconds before stomping away across the stone floor, to the direction of the stairs. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I made my way up along the railing, especially Klaus. But I ignored them all as I walked right back into the guestroom and shut the door behind me with a large impact.

* * *

A few minutes later, Marcel's head peaked into the room. He gently closed the door behind me and looked at me in silence for a few seconds. I hated that silence. The kind of silence when the other person is debating whether or not you will explode within the next second.

"I'm not in the mood." I told him quietly, groaning into my pillow. God, I was in such a situation. I wanted to kill Klaus. I wanted to rip his head off for taking Roxy away from me, yet I couldn't do anything because he had all the other people I cared about under his thumb.

"I'm going out with Klaus. We have some errands to run, meeting with Father Kieran and the human representatives." Marcel informed me, walking over to the bed and brushing my cheek gently.

I finally looked into his eyes and saw them fill with confusion at the glare on my face.

"Not you too." He groaned, shaking his head and pulling his warm hand away from my cheek.

With my brows raised, I sat up in the bed, my back resting against the wooden bedframe. Marcel rubbed his chin in silence, clearly not wanting to elaborate on what he'd been telling me. Finally, taking in my impatient expression, he cracked.

"Bekah's been beating me up for following his orders."

My heart turned to stone in my chest.

"Bekah, huh?" The stone twisted and turned as I pronounced her name, yet I looked away from the rolling eyes of Marcel.

"Julie…"

"No, it's fine." I lied, shaking my head and slumping down on the bed. In a quick motion, I pulled up the sheets to my chin and curled up in the comforting warmth. "Go ahead and suck up to the Mikaelsons. I'm sure that's exactly what they want."

Marcel didn't hang around to answer, but left the room with the door banging loudly behind him.

* * *

"Seriously, you've got to get a grip." My eyes shot open in half a second at the familiar voice from the doorway, and I turned around in the bed to squint at the daylight seeping into the room. Davina was leaning against the doorframe, looking at me with unyielding stubbornness. "Marcel told me you've been in here the whole day."

With a sigh, D let her arms fall to the side and walked over to the large bed, sitting down next to me. She reached out her hand to brush away a strand of hair from my forehead like I always did to her and smiled gently.

"I know it must be hard." I gulped, trying to swallow down the wave of emotions that was threatening to hit me. Roxy was dead. She would never come back. "But you can't just lay here and do nothing while Klaus is taking over your home."

"D, it's not like we stand a chance against him." I muttered, but nevertheless looked up into her blue eyes. "Why are you here? You should be in the attic, you're not safe here–" I started freaking out as I sat up in the bed.

The younger girl sighed and motioned for me to stop talking.

"It's Klaus. Well, Marcel says that I'll be safer here. But really, it's just Klaus that wants to keep a close watch on me." I saw from the clench of her jaw that Davina must have hated Klaus a lot too, and it fueled my anger that he was telling her what to do too.

"Oh God…" I sighed, rubbing my temples before looking around me in the room. "You're right, I have to stop this. That dick has some guts walking in here and doing whatever the hell he wants."

Pride shone in my friend's eyes as I stood up and threw the blanket away from me, before walking over to the closet on the opposite side of the room. Somehow, my clothes had been moved there over the night. With a huff, I pulled on a blue flannel shirt over my white tank top, and slipped on my black ripped jeans.

"You have to stay here." I told Davina as soon as I had brushed my hair, ready to go out. She sighed, and I walked up to her to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's for–"

"–my own good, yes I know." The witch crossed her hands across her chest while I smiled sadly at her. I still felt her eyes on my back as I walked out of the door, and then down the stairs. As I descended them little by little, I realized that I had no idea where Klaus and Marcel where.

Once down in the courtyard, I decided that I would experiment a little bit with my awful power. I looked down at the sapphire ring on my right hand, and gently, I pulled it off the finger with my left hand. Once the piece of jewelry was in my palm, I squeezed my eyes shut and concentrated on Marcel. It had to work, otherwise my power really was useless.

A picture of a room flashed by my eyes, and then gone as quickly as it came. I would recognize that bar anywhere. _Rousseau's._

Did I have a plan? No. Frankly, I don't even think that I was using my brain in that moment, because what would I possibly tell Klaus? Yet Davina had been right, I couldn't either just stay there at the Abattoir and do nothing while he strutted around the place and killed my friends.

So I went to Rousseau's. Had I known that the bar would explode merely seconds after I entered, I might have stayed at the compound. But I didn't, so whatever fate awaited me was bound to happen.

* * *

I felt Sofia and Rachel trailing me all the way to the bar, even if I speeded the whole way. But for some reason, they didn't bother me that much anymore. They seemed to be waiting for something to be capture me, otherwise I would already be at their mercy. Maybe some otherworldly force had taken my loss into consideration and delayed their upcoming attack, but it didn't matter.

I'd come to the bar, and I needed to gather my thoughts before confronting Klaus. I needed to do that, so of course I didn't. Instead, I strode in through the door as if I was unstoppable and searched the room for the two familiar faces. Marcel saw me first, but his eyes were unreadable; I couldn't even tell if he was still angry at me for what I'd said earlier. And then it was Klaus, who had somehow already managed to send me a feline grin.

So naturally, I was going to punch him in the face. Only as I was about to advance on them, the bar exploded. The windows shattered and I instinctively shielded my eyes from the danger. As I turned, I saw that Marcel was in the far back of the room, helping Otto, who had caught on fire. A few feet away from me, Klaus was glaring at the window, where the sunlight washed into the room.

Then came the bullets. Wooden, laced with vervain. I felt the poison sear in my veins as the bullets hit me in several areas of my chest, and I fell to the ground. The pain was paralyzing, yet I knew that I had to get the bullets out.

Within half a second, Klaus was crouching over me, his face shadowed with worry as he located my wound. He himself seemed unharmed, save for his wide eyes.

"There's one close to your heart." He breathed out, while I tried to breathe through the blinding pain in my chest. _So what, asshole, get it out instead of stating the obvious!,_ I wanted to scream at him, but my voice wasn't functioning. I was starting to feel my skin crackling and decaying when Klaus's hand shot into my chest and grabbed my heart in his hand.

It wasn't like an ordinary vision. Usually, I just saw pictures flashing by, and if it was a scene, I was watching it form an outside perspective, like a movie. What happened in that exact moment was completely different.

 _Imagine falling down a black well, falling and falling deeper into the earth. My subconscious was reaching out into Klaus's soul, but I had never thought that a human (or well... hybrid) soul could be so immense._

 _And then I landed, with a large boom. Though I felt no pain, my eyes were closed simply out of fear. When I opened them again, I found myself laying on a patch of green, humid grass. Slowly, I lifted my head to take in my surroundings. I seemed to have fallen into a round clearing in a forest, where tall pine trees lined the edges. Judging by the pink light that shone in through the sparse tree-tops on my right, the sun was setting. I could guess by the light layer of frost covering the muddy grass that it was a cold afternoon, yet my skin seemed to be brushed by a light, comfortable warm breeze._

 _There was a soft sound of sobbing coming from behind me. Turning around, I was met with the sight of a little boy, perched on top of a boulder. His pale hair shone golden in the warm light, and he was hugging his knees against his chest. Quietly, I stepped towards the crying figure._

 _"Hello?" I called out softly, and the startled boy looked up with wide blue eyes. His first instinct must have been to back away from me, according to the fear in his eyes. Then, he straightened his back and wiped his eyes, lifting his chin to meet my inquisitive gaze._

 _"Who are you?" The curious child demanded, his voice commanding even though he could not have been more than six years old. I kept walking towards him before I stood right across from him, getting a closer look at his face. He was a very handsome boy, with a sense of confidence in his gaze that was hard to come by in a boy of his age._

 _"My name is Juliette." I answered. I didn't know what it was with the boy, I had entirely forgotten where I was, but something about him was fascinating. So I tilted my head to the side and smiled at him. "Can I sit here with you?"_

 _He eyed me suspiciously for a few seconds before he blew a strand of blond hair away from his angel eyes and shrugged. I took that as a yes and settled down next to him on the large rock._

 _The boy said nothing but leaned down and pulled something out of his sock. Two thoughts struck me; The first one was that he was wearing old-fashioned clothes. Old-fashioned as in medieval clothes, actually. The second thought was that the wool overcoat was ripped open in a long scar on the boy's back, and a well-familiar red liquid was seeping out of the wound. I couldn't suppress the gasp that escaped my lips._

 _The boy didn't seem to notice my shock, and I realized why when I saw that he was carving a piece of wood with the knife that he'd pulled out of his shoe._

 _"What are you making?" I asked him, trying to get a closer look at the wooden figure. The boy's head snapped up and he gave me a toothless proud smile, holding up the object in his hand for me to see._

 _"It's a chess piece. It's going to be the king. It's for my father." He spoke, and his angel locks once again fell into his eyes as he leaned back down to keep on working on the chess-piece-to-be. "Maybe then he'll forgive me for being a bad boy."_

 _I debated whether or not to ask him about the wound on his back. Surely, it would just upset the boy if I reminded him. Then again, he was only a child. Someone should take care of him, and there was no one else around but me._

 _"Did your father do that to you?" My voice came out in nearly as whisper. The boy kept carving._

 _"I was a bad boy." He said, and my stomach churned with disgust. What kind of evil monster would do that to a child, a child that was willing to defend him for beating him? "Father just wants to help me become a man. A strong man, like him."_

 _Still, fear and sadness had begun creeping back into the boy's voice. He stopped carving too, his hands shaking too much for the precise work he'd been doing._

 _Before I knew what I was doing, I reached out and brushed the boy's shoulder. He looked up at me with tear-filled eyes that tried so desperately not to show weakness. The boy gazed into my soul, waking up feelings that I wasn't yet ready to feel, that made me want to cry too._

 _"What's your name?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer. I had seen those eyes before._

 _"Niklaus." The boy whispered through a shaking voice. It became difficult to breathe, still I managed to smile through the tears that were running down my cheeks. My conflicted heart seemed to cry out in protest as I leaned down and grabbed the boy's face gently with my hands and looked deep into his eyes._

 _"Listen to me, Niklaus." I spoke. The boy said nothing, but his eyes assessed my every movement I made. "If your father did that to you, he's no strong man. He is weak, and you should strive to be so much better than that."_

 _I didn't have time to see his response, because a second later, my vision went black._

When I opened my eyes again, I was staring into the same eyes, but in the grown man's face. Klaus was looking at me with the exact same expression, and time no longer existed. I couldn't make myself feel angry at him as he stared down at me.

"I saw you in a dream." He whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. His broken soul still seemed connected to mine in that awfully long moment when neither of us dared to speak.

"I–" I finally croaked out, but was interrupted by another face popping into vision.

"Julie!" Marcel exclaimed as he fell to his knees by my side, his voice breaking the momentary bond between Klaus and I. The hybrid backed away and wiped his face clean of emotions. He dropped four bullets to the floor, bullets that were coated with my blood. I didn't take my eyes off of him as he stood up and gazed around the room, his expression still completely unreadable.

Still, I felt him catching glances at me from the other side of the room while Marcel was fussing about. And no matter how much I tried to hate him, to blame him for Roxy's death, I only saw the little boy every time I looked at him.

Damn my weak emotional heart.

 **A/N: Helloooo lovely little readers! I am SO SO SO sorry for having been M.I.A. for a couple of months, but life got in the way, you know. We all get writing slumps, and I've just had no inspiration for this story. But I'm back for now, and I'll try to write as much as possible for you! Hope you liked the chapter, please leave a little comment below 3  
~ Emma ~**


	24. Chapter 24: God Knows I Tried

"I saw what happened between you and Klaus today." Marcel told me that very same night, while wiping off the blood trail on his throat, from having killed the human representatives. I brought the glass of bourbon to my mouth nevertheless, ignoring the alarm in my heart.

"You make it sound like something more than him saving my life." I spoke calmly, doing everything in my power to push the image of the little boy away from my mind. I hated children. I always had, so why had that boy found his way into my heart?

"Don't you think I notice the way he looks at you, Julie?" My fiancé repeated, tiredness in his voice. This time, I lowered the glass and met his brown gaze. Not again. I _really_ didn't dig that primitive ' _you are mine so no one can look at you'_ thing _,_ because honestly, I knew I was hot and therefore people looked at me. Besides, why did he have the right to call me his? That ring of his didn't give him the right to my body.

"Marcel." I warned, letting the heavy glass down on the glass table.

"He's got his mind set on you."

"So what?" I exclaimed, rolling my eyes. Marcel stopped and rubbed his chin, granting me an annoyed glance. "I can't speak for Klaus. Maybe he's got some morbid fascination with my power, but why the hell does it matter to you?"

"It's not like that." He sighed, slumping down in the leather armchair in front of me with a large thud. "I know Klaus, Julie. He doesn't look at _anyone_ like that. Not even Cami."

I had to stop the mass of words that were about to erupt from my mouth to repeat that name to myself again. Did he mean Cami? Cami, as in my boss, Cami?

"What's Klaus got to do with Cami?" I frowned, forgetting my anger towards Marcel. His eyes filled with earnest surprise, he too seeming to forget our little fight.

"Didn't you know? He's been using her as his little psychiatrist for some time now. Compelling her to forget everything he's told her afterwards. He seems to have a thing for her."

"That freaking bastard, I swear I will–" I stopped in mid-sentence and drew a deep breath. "Marcel, can't you see? Whatever Klaus is up to, I'm not interested. All I want is for you to _trust_ me, like you used to."

Marcel sighed once more and looked up at me.

"But how am I supposed to do that? You're forgetting that I know you too, Juliette." The usually smiling eyes turned into a somber glare, laced with jealousy. "It's obvious that you care about him too. I just can't figure out why-how-you could care for a monster like him."

The deceit in his scrutinizing gaze was almost too much for me too bear.

"Whatever you think it is, you're wrong. I don't have those kinds of feelings for Klaus." I stared him down straight in the eyes, telling the truth for once. I didn't love Klaus. Not in the way I loved Marcel. "If you must know, I feel some kind of responsibility for him."

The silence was an invite for me to elaborate.

"He's broken, Marcel." I shook my head, the intensity of my fiancés eyes too much. My eyes fastened on a pillar on the opposite side of the courtyard, unaware of the fact that a man was standing behind it, listening to the conversation. "It doesn't excuse what he's done to our friends. I will always hate some part of him for that. But I'm beginning to think that the reason he's doing all of these things is because he's lonely."

I found myself remembering the boy, carving the chess piece in silence, alone. No one had come looking for him, his wounds unmended and bared to the open air. Perhaps the reason that he was so messed up was because the wounds had gotten an infection and healed irregularly, creating scars that would never vanish.

"So no, I don't have feelings for Klaus. There's no reason for you to be jealous." I mumbled, snapping out of my thoughts. "I just pity him."

As Marcel nodded and we started talking about what to do about the human faction, a shadow moved from behind the pillar and Klaus Mikaelson vanished into the night, his mind a storm of emotions that he was not yet ready to face.

* * *

The bar was particularly empty that night; I didn't know why. Maybe it was the rainy weather, or maybe people had better things to do than to hang around at a bar at 2 am on a Monday morning. I of course, didn't. Especially since Cami was absent for some unknown reason, and my shift was supposed to end within the next half hour. It was so strange of her to not even leave me a note; Cami was probably the most responsible and organized person I knew.

"Guess I'll be closing, then." I muttered to myself, wiping the already shiny surface of the bar clean for the tenth time during the last few minutes. Sighing, I turned around to grab a glass that had just the slightest of a smudge on it, before occupying myself with rubbing it squeaky clean.

The air shifted. It didn't get cold, and there was no rush of warm wind or a strong perfume. The energy just shifted, as if the particles floating in the air had fell out of their pattern. So I turned around.

"Hi there." The british accent said. The pink-haired woman smiled and settled down on one of the high barstools right in front of me. While I weighed my escape options, her strawberry blonde friend followed her lead and sat down at her right. "Long time no see."

Rachel must have noticed my gaze flickering over to the door behind them, because she let out a low chuckle and clapped her hands together.

"If you're planning on escaping, you should know that we're about 400 years older than you, and a hell of a lot faster."

"What do you want with me?"

"Relax. We're just here to make a deal." Sofia replied with a roll of her eyes. As if I was crazy for being on edge after they practically kidnapped me. I took a deep breath and gripped the edge of the counter, debating the only plan that was left; Text someone for help. But I was afraid that they would notice me fiddling with my phone in my pocket. Thus, I came to the conclusion that I simply had to stay calm and listen to them.

"Yes?" I demanded. Rachel motioned to the shelves with various bottles of different colored liquors in it, and I glared in response.

"Listen up psychic psycho. We could make this easy for you, or we could make this hard. It's your choice." Sofia leaned forward and smiled, a hunger for inflicting pain in her blue eyes. I shoved down my pride and slowly turned around to pick up a bottle of Bourbon and two glasses. The two vampires smiled triumphantly at each other while I poured the golden liquid into the heavy bottomed glasses.

"So?" I raised my eyebrows at the two women and placed the drinks in front of them on the counter.

"Well, we've been watching you…"

"No shit." I muttered under my breath. The glare I got from the two vampires in return made a chill run down my spine.

"-and we've been under the impression that you are friends with Klaus Mikaelson." Rachel continued, sipping from the strong alcohol. "However, a little bird told us that he's gone on a killing rampage and killed one of your dear friends."

I swallowed and refused to meet their intimidating gazes, resting my eyes on the counter of the bar. I was not in the mood to be reminded of Roxy's fate. Still, they didn't seem to take the hint.

"Roxy, was it?" Sofia cocked her head to the side, her voice as careless as if she was talking about a bug.

I finally met her gaze and stared her down.

"Anyway, Sofia and I have altered our plan. We no longer plan to kidnap you." Rachel spoke twinning a strand of her pastel pink hair between her fingers. She was wearing a matching eyeshadow color which brought out the brown in her cold eyes. She grew quiet as she watched me expectantly.

"Am I supposed to thank you, or-?"

"We want to kill Klaus Mikaelson."

Well… That took a surprising turn of events.

* * *

"Let me get this straight… You want Klaus dead, and you want me to kill him for you?" Twenty minutes had gone, and I still didn't understand their complicated plan. "I'm like… Three years old. Vampire age, at least."

"Oh for God's sake, you're not mentally three years old, right? Just listen-" Sofia exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air for the third time. "-We need you to find out his weak spot. He clearly has a thing for you. Just swoon him and find out if there's some way to kill him. Then, when you know-"

" _We_ kill him." Rachel filled in.

"Well, you could have just said _that_ instead of rambling on about your sad lives." I rolled my eyes. Crap. They were still a couple of hundred years older than me. _Maybe_ tone down the sassiness a bit?

"Ha-ha. You know, I usually appreciate sarcasm." Rachel pondered, her eyes travelling across the empty bar before landing on me again. "But something about you just makes me want to rip your head off."

I gulped.

"Or, we could make this even easier." Sofia suggested, her blue eyes sinking down to my hands. "Aren't you supposed to be psychic? Just read our future and see how we'll kill Klaus."

"It doesn't work that way." I sighed. Even though they were being polite and remotely nice to me, I yearned to close up the bar and get home to bed. I wanted to get as far away from these two vampires as I could. "It's completely random."

"Try." Sofia urged, reaching out her hand for me to take. Something in her eyes were so challenging that I took her hand without a second thought. My vision blurred.

 _I recognized the setting immediately. It was the same warehouse where I'd been held just weeks earlier, tied up along the wall. Only now, there was a chair in the middle of the spacy room. And in the chair, a man was tied up. His dark brown hair hung in stripes against his sweaty forehead, blocking my view of his face. There were burns along his wrists, where his ropes were tied. Vervain. Meaning that he was a vampire._

" _We just need one thing from you." Rachel came into view, recognizable by her high heels and gracious, waltzing steps. Her skin glowed pale in the light of the moon, seeping in through one of the windows. "Tell us what we want to know, and we'll set you free."_

 _Sofia now sauntered in behind her, her face coming into the light. She didn't bear the same emotionless expression as her friend; She was peering at the tied-up man curiously. He still hadn't lifted his head to look up at them, and instead breathed deeply, as if he was in great pain._

" _You're one of Marcel Gerard's vampire lackeys, aren't you?" The pink-haired vampire continued, waltzing around the wooden chair, while dragging her finger along the man's shoulders. One of Marcel's vampires? But-_

 _The man lifted his head, and I recognized him. It was Ben, one of the members of Marcel's inner circle. I'd thought that he was killed during Klaus's attack, but some of the victims were so mangled that we hadn't been able to identify them._

" _I won't betray Marcel." Ben huffed under his breath, pulling at the ropes. He then sneered as the vervain burned his skin further._

" _Oh, we don't care about Marcel." Rachel let out a ringing laugh, a sound that would have sounded lovely had it not been laced with bitterness. Sofia was standing next to her, suspiciously quiet, her blue eyes still set on Ben's green ones. "Tell us about Juliette Walters."_

 _My heart beat with anticipation as a thousand question flashed by Ben's eyes. A prickle of sweat ran down his high cheekbones to the cut of his jaw._

" _I don't even know if she's alive." He whispered. I hadn't expected him to be loyal to me; I'd barely spoken to him during the years I'd been Marcel's girlfriend. Still, it hurt slightly. I concentrated on the surprise in Rachel's eyes instead._

" _Why wouldn't she be alive?"_

" _There was an attack on the compound." Ben answered. "Klaus Mikaelson killed almost thirty of us. Last I checked, she was about to attack Klaus for killing one of her friends, Roxy."_

 _I remembered then, Ben standing in the background when I'd lashed out on Klaus after crying over Roxy's dead body._

" _Sofia?" Rachel turned to her friend, who snapped out of her daze. "Change of plans." She then whispered something to Sofia, so quiet that I doubted even Ben could hear it with his vampire hearing. A few seconds later, she pulled away and nodded one last time at Sofia before exiting the warehouse, her loud steps echoing against the stone floor._

 _Sofia slowly moved toward the man in the chair. Ben watched her in silence as she crouched down in front of him._

" _She told me to kill you." She spoke quietly, as if she was afraid that Rachel was listening outside. Something intimate seemed to happen before me them, as neither Sofia or Ben looked away from each other's eyes. Something must have been soft in the blue orbs, since Ben didn't even look scared. "But I'm not going to."_

 _She reached behind him and gently loosened the ropes drenched in vervain, and Ben's gaze never once left her._

" _You're free to go back to Marcel." Sofia said, leaning back again so she could look into Ben's eyes. He slowly shook his head in response, nothing more._

 _I'd never believed in love at first sight, but that looked damn near it._

I snapped back to reality just to be met with Rachel doing quotation marks in the air with her fingers.

" _It's completely random."_ She chuckled, while Sofia's blue eyes were filled with uneasiness. Did she know what I'd seen? Could she feel it? I never knew with these powers…

"What did you see?" The vampire in question commanded, her hand still clasped in mine with a firm grip. I swallowed and rummaged my mind for a lie.

"Nothing." I croaked out, before smoothing over my voice. I was usually a good liar. I just had to ignore the fact that I was trapped in a bar with two ancient vampires, who could decide to kill me any second. "It didn't work. I just blacked out."

I must have been convincing, because Sofia slowly let me go and turned to Rachel, throwing her hands up in the air.

"So much for _amazing powers_ that have never been seen before." Oh, if she only knew.

"Okay, believe it or not, we don't have all night." Rachel sighed, swigged the last of her drink, and sat up. "We'll be in touch about our deal."

"Hold up, I never agreed to your deal." I splurted out, just before the two vampires were about to exit the bar. They both stopped, turned to each other, and then broke out into laughter.

"Did you think you had a choice?" Sofia said, still laughing. "Oh honey, we thought you understood."

"You help us kill Klaus… Or we kill you." Rachel filled in, flashing me one last brilliant smile before the pair vanished, and I was alone.

* * *

I crashed into another body as I entered the compound, and the impact made my vampire fangs snap down out of instinct. I hadn't fed in days, and that in combination with the awful night I'd had left me in a not-so stable mood.

"D? What are you doing?" I exclaimed as soon as I identified who I had crashed into. Davina looked just as dizzy as I, but I instantly noticed that her eyes were rimmed with red, and that a duffelbag was slung across her shoulder.

"Get away from me." She sneered, tears starting to form in her green orbs. She tried to push past me, but being a vampire, I pulled her back. She retorted with flinging her magic at me, sending me flying into a wall. It hurt like crap and I could hear the crack of the back of my skull, but with the vampire healing, I was up in a second.

"Not so fast, Davina." I seethed, speeding up to her again. She was now standing right below the archway at the exit of the compound, looking at me with so much betrayal that my blood ran cold. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Wrong with me?" She yelled, tears running freely down her cheeks. My heart was thumping fast in my chest; What the hell was happening? When I'd left her earlier in the day, everything had been normal. "How about the fact that you _knew_ that Agnes was dead. That I'm safe, that I've been safe for a while now. And you used me–"

"Hold the fuck up." I raised my hand, and Davina stopped her yelling to breathe. "Agnes is _dead?"_

A silence settled between us as confusion washed across my friend's face.

"You didn't know either?"

"Of course I didn't!" I exclaimed, before looking across my shoulder to see if anyone was watching us. "I was there when Elijah promised not to let Klaus kill the bitch."

"Well, he didn't promise that she would live either. Apparently, Elijah went on a little killing spree himself." Davina had stopped crying and resorted to drying her eyes with the sleeve of her denim jacket. "Marcel knew. And he didn't tell me."

Realization dawned upon me. Marcel had known that Agnes was dead; meaning that Davina was free, and safe. She had no reason to stay locked up in her attic anymore. Yet Marcel had kept her there, and I knew why.

"I'm gonna–" I snarled, feeling the veins under my eyes start to appear. Marcel had kept Davina as a weapon against Klaus; And now that Klaus had taken over, he'd gladly handed her over to the evil hybrid. "I swear I didn't know, D. If I'd known, I would've taken you far away from here. You don't deserve this kind of life."

I leaned down and pressed my palms to Davina's pale cheeks, my heart calming down as I breathed in deeply. I meant every word; Davina was more than just a friend to me. She was like my sister, and even a daughter in some ways.

"Then do it. Take me away from here." She whispered, like the vulnerable sixteen year-old she should have been.

"I can't, Davina. You know I can't." I let her go and shook my head, glancing at the balcony towards the master bedroom. The compound had been my home for the past three years; Yet now it seemed distant and cold.

"Please, Julie. I can't live under the same roof as them. I can't stay here as Marcel's prisoner, not anymore." The word prisoner vibrated in my heart, making it twist with guilt. What a horrible life Davina must have had. She'd missed out on everything that a teen was supposed to do. Drink, party, hang out with friends past curfew, go to prom…

"Here's what we'll do. Tonight, we check in at a hotel, and then we take this discussion tomorrow, okay?" My gaze traveled back to the courtyard again. I didn't want to spend another night there either; Sleeping next to a man that I hardly knew anymore, and a hybrid that had turned my life upside down. And not in a good way.

Besides, some time away might be a good idea. I had a difficult decision to make. Kill Klaus, or die.


	25. Chapter 25: Everybody Wants To Rule

Kill Klaus. No biggie. I knew about the influence I had over him. Maybe I wouldn't even have to flirt with him to get the information I wanted. With Davina's help, I could maybe, somehow, use my powers to find out his vulnerability.

Klaus deserved pain for the things he'd done. Not just killing Roxy; The guy was a monster. Who knew how many other innocent people he'd killed before getting to New Orleans? I had no reason whatsoever to want to save him. Especially not when my own life was hanging on the line.

Yet the thought of going through with it made my blood run cold. Not just because I was scared out of my mind of him finding out, but because I remembered the boy. I don't know when I became such a softie, but his blue eyes hadn't left my mind ever since I first saw them.

I opened my eyes to the rays of the sun, shining in through the slip beneath the door to the balcony, dust particles from the worn-out rug dancing in the air. Slowly sitting up, I rubbed my fingers to my temples, trying to ease the headache.

Davina was sleeping in the king-sized bed across the room, looking more peaceful than she had in months.

Sighing, I tore my gaze away from Davina and stood up, moving to the balcony. Just as I opened the shutters, my phone vibrated in the pocket of my well-used leather jacket.

"Yes?" I spoke into the device as I gazed down at the street below, the sound of trumpets and saxophones already filling the air. A group of teenagers were laughing together just below the sign that read "Rousseau's". Yes, if Marcel wanted to find us, he probably would quite easily. But it was the only hotel I'd thought of the night before, and it had been almost five in the morning when we checked in.

"I know she's with you." Speak of the devil… Marcel's voice was rough and angry at the other end of the line, but it didn't bother me. I had a reason for doing this too.

"No she's not."

"Yes she is."

"How do you know that?"

"I know you. And I know Davina. You're the first person she'd go looking for, Julie." Marcel sighed, the anger simmering down to restlessness. I rolled my eyes and stepped away from the sunlight of the balcony, watching Davina slowly starting to fuss in the large bed.

"So? What if she is? What are you gonna do, give her back to Klaus?" I breathed, trying to speak as quietly as possible without alarming Marcel. Davina's eyes shot open, and a frown appeared between her eyes as I motioned to the phone. "She's not a weapon, Marcel."

My witch friend was up now, combing her hair through with her fingers and pulling on . The other end of the line was silent for a few seconds, long enough for me to start wondering if Marcel had just hung up on me.

But then a voice came back.

"Hello, love." Klaus mused, his smirk shining through his words. I let out a loud sigh intentionally, to let him know how immensely annoyed his voice made me. "Your dear Marcel and I seem to have encountered a problem. You see, a witch friend of ours is missing."

"Friend?" I chuckled sarcastically, sharing a look with Davina. Marcel and Klaus could very well be looking for us right in that moment, so we needed a plan.

"Well, let's just say that she is very valuable to me." Klaus replied, an underlying threat in his husky voice. "In other words, I'd very much like to get her back."

"Okay." I shrugged.

"Very well–"

"Oh no, don't get me wrong. You're not getting her back. I won't let you use her as a weapon to protect your sorry little ass against the witches." I stopped to smile at my wittiness before continuing. "Tell Marcel to call me when he's sorted out his priorities."

I hung up before Klaus could answer, expecting Davina to ask what he'd said. However, she was standing in front of me with an empty look in her eyes.

"Magic." She breathed, her voice a whisper among the various sounds of cheering and singing from down the street. "Someone's doing magic. The witches. They're trying to find me."

"Then we have to leave."

* * *

My phone rang for the second time barely ten minutes later, while I was packing my handbag. Davina was in the bathroom, gathering her toiletries.

"Marcel…" I started, the phone at my ear within a second. The sound of him breathing on the other end of the line nearly made my heart break.

"Don't leave." He spoke, voice heavy with emotion. I swallowed the lump in my throat and checked so that Davina wasn't listening. I didn't want her to feel guilty for my choice.

"I have to, Marcel. You know as well as I what Klaus will do when he gets his hands on her. He won't hesitate to throw her into the hands of the enemy to save himself." I sighed and bit my lip. "Come with us. She's mad at you, but just give her time. You're like her father, she'll forgive you."

"Julie…"

"Please. We can start a new life, the three of us. Davina can go to school, you and I can get married and live the perfect suburban life somewhere far away from here. Far away from Klaus."

His silence told me all I needed to know. He was choosing his empire over me. Over Davina.

"I can't just leave. I can't abandon this. New Orleans is my home. It's what I've devoted my life to." His voice was regretful, but my heart was already closing up. "Listen, I can deal with Klaus. He'll get bored of this. Meanwhile, we'll see to that Davina comes to no harm."

My eyes snapped up as Davina exited the bathroom, rushing to the bed to keep packing her bag. The car keys seemed heavy as led in my right hand, begging me to drop them on the floor and forget them there.

"Come home, Juliette."

I dropped the keys.

They made a ringing noise as they fell against the wooden floor.

"No." I mumbled, and picked up the keys again.

Then, I hung up. Biting my lip, I shoved back the tears that were fighting to get out, commanding my heart to keep itself together. For Davina, I had to be strong. Marcel had chosen New Orleans over us, so I'd choose her over him.

"Are you okay?" The brunette called from across the room. I smiled at her and put the phone back in my pocket.

"Yeah."

* * *

"I wish I could've said goodbye to Josh." Davina spoke softly as we made our way down the streets of New Orleans, heading to the parking lot where Marcel's numerous cars were parked. I had the keys to several of them, we only had to hope that he wouldn't be one step ahead of us.

"I know. There are a lot of people I would have liked to say goodbye to too." I answered, gazing at the setting sun. A pang of guilt hit my chest as I remembered the promise I'd made to Josh; he still hadn't gotten his sunlight ring, and we had no time to wait for him.

"Are you sure you're just gonna leave Marcel like this?" Davina asked, brushing her hair behind her ears. We'd both dressed up in wedding gowns from the nearest dress-shop of the parade of the Casket Girls that was taking place that night. The perfect opportunity to hide. The dresses were borrowed, of course. Although I had to say that the flattering white lace that was mine fitted me so well that I might just keep it for my own wedding.

I remembered with a pang of pain that it might not happen.

"I gave him the choice to come with us." I told her as we pushed through the mass of people. Davina's large hat masked her face, but her brows were furrowed into a worried frown nevertheless. "He chose not to."

"Julie." Davina froze next to me, and I followed her gaze through the dancing crowd, to a familiar face. Klaus. His handsome face was searching the faces as well, but he had not seen us. Grabbing Davina's hand, I prepared myself to speed us to the nearest safe place I could think us. But just as I was about to move, I saw the head next to Klaus's. Marcel. A part of me wanted to let go of Davina and run to his side. The other part of me wanted to rip off his head for promising me a life that he didn't intend to live.

So I had to compromise, and left the scene with Davina.

St Anne's Church was empty as we entered, every step ringing against the stone floor. Davina took of her large hat while I made sure that the doors were locked.

My phone rang for the third time that day. Marcel's name shone on the display. My heart dropped to the bottom of my chest.

Either he was calling to say that he'd change his mind, or he was calling for Klaus.

I picked up the phone, my heart getting the best of me.

"Juliette!" The familiar british voice echoed against my ear, and my whole body seemed to freeze into a statue. "As I understand, you're planning to leave with the little witch. But are you really going to leave Davina's poor soulmate Timothy alone with me?"

Oh no. Tim. Davina had told me all about him; the boy she'd met when she was 10, and they'd been inseparable until the Harvest accident.

"I assure you I only want to talk to her, love. Tim and I will be at the compound." I could hear the smile forming on Klaus's lips. "I dearly hope to see your lovely face tonight, Juliette."

There was a click, and he was gone. I lowered the phone again.

"Klaus has Tim." I told Davina, who's face immediately dropped as her eyes shifted over to the exit of the church.

"I have to go." She exclaimed urgently, trying to push past me. I met her furious gaze and kept her arms in a steady iron grip.

"It's not safe, D."

"I can't let him die!" She suddenly grew stale in my arms. The desperate expression in her blue eyes was replaced by alarm. "The witches."

Half a second later, the doors flew open. The sound of chanting in latin filled the air as a group of cloaked women entered the church, hands in the air. The one at the front twisted her hand slightly and I felt my neck snap before everything went black.

* * *

I woke up to silence, rubbing my sore neck. It was only when I saw the bodies on the floor that I remembered what had happened before I'd passed out.

Davina must've killed them. The witches. And I knew where she'd gone. I just hoped that she was still alive. Swallowing the fear that was burning in my chest, I dashed out of the church towards the Abattoir.

Three men were standing in the courtyard when I entered my old home. I took a deep breath before walking up to Klaus, looking surprisingly regretful in the light of the candles. I compelled myself to smile calmly at the hybrid as I stopped right in front of him.

He was wearing the same expression as the boy had in the vision; Vulnerability. My act must have been believable, for his walls were down.

Quicker than he could detect, my hand shot out and into his chest.

"Where is Davina?" I snarled through my teeth, the fangs snapping out. Within a beat of Klaus's heart, I was pushed back to the stone wall, staring the monster in the face.

"How dare you–" Klaus breathed in my face, his eyes glowing yellow. The picture of the young boy was erased and replaced with the look of complete savagery in his gaze. This was not a man to pity. It was a monster, and he deserved every fate that would come to him. Especially if he'd hurt Davina.

"Let her go, Klaus." Marcel spoke, and I only registered that he'd been in the room there and then.

"Why should I?" Klaus grinned, cocking his head to the side like a true wolf. Even though I was in a very compromising situation, I couldn't make myself feel scared. If Davina was dead, I might as well be too. "She's pretty indeed, but not irreplaceable."

"Let her go, or I will kill you." Marcel repeated. Klaus slowly turned around to face him, without easing the grip around my throat.

"Really?" He laughed, an empty laugh without happiness. "And how do you plan to do that, my friend?"

Marcel grew silent as he realized that he had no answer to that question. Klaus turned back to grin at me. By then, I scarcely even felt his hand ripping into my chest, grabbing my heart. I saw in his eyes, then. How wrong I'd been. Whatever he felt for me wouldn't stop him from killing me; On the contrary. I was just another threat being eliminated.

He started pulling my heart out, and I realized that the last eyes that I would look into were the eyes of a wolf.

My vision was darkening when a woman's voice screamed in my head, and my body moved with some uncontrollable force. My hand reached up quicker than the speed of light and settled against Klaus's heart. I could only watch as my hand pushed him with such a force that he fell back several steps, screaming in agony.

As I slumped back against the stone wall, I watched the hybrid call out for help. He was on his knees, grasping thin air with his hands as if he was a blind man. He tilted his head up, and I saw that his eyes were completely white. He _was_ blind.

"Elijah?" He exclaimed, turning to the wrong direction of the room. His older brother, standing behind him, took three steps to join his side. "I can't see. What's happening?"

"Undo it." Elijah commanded me, his voice threatening. As if that would scare me after what I'd just done. He knew as well as I that I could repeat whatever I'd done to Klaus if I wanted to.

"I couldn't even if I wanted to." I shrugged simply, watching as Klaus's nose started bleeding, as well as his eyes and ears. I met Elijah's brown gaze, which was frightened. Turning back to Klaus, I tried to make my heart pity him. But all I could see in my mind was Davina's blue eyes.

"Please. He's my brother. My family." Elijah begged, his hand still on Klaus's shoulder. The latter was groaning with pain, twitching on the ground as if every bone in his body was breaking.

"He killed my family." I replied, my voice breaking. Davina couldn't be dead; I couldn't bear the thought. But how could she have survived? Klaus was the Original Hybrid.

"Davina's alive, Juliette." Marcel said, taking a few steps toward me.

My chest heaved with relief. I turned back to Elijah, swallowing his pride to beg me to save his brother.

I wasn't a monster. This wasn't me, killing out of spite. I wouldn't sink to Klaus's level. So, without another word, I walked up to the shivering man on the floor, pressing my cold palm to his forehead. My body still seemed to be controlled by someone else as a surge of power traveled through my veins, sending sparks in my skin, before finally piercing Klaus's skin.

He stopped shivering. His eyes returned to the usual blue color, widening at the sight of me.

I realized that that might be the first, and not the last, time that I would see Klaus scared.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" The female voice echoed through the courtyard, and I quickly turned back to face the blonde. Rebekah was carrying a familiar brunette in her arms, and I was by her side in less than a second.

"Is she alright?" I breathed, for once swallowing my pride and speaking to the Original without an ounce of anger. Rebekah looked back at me with regret, also lowering her walls. This wasn't about us, or our feud. It was about Davina.

"She's heartbroken and exhausted. Where's her room?"

"I'll take her." I hadn't noticed Marcel coming up behind me until his soft voice was next to me.

"No, you won't." I retorted, keeping my voice steady as I looked into the brown eyes of his. "You forfeited the right to be her father as soon as you joined his side." I motioned towards Klaus, who seemed to have regained his composure after my attack.

Hurt flashed by Marcel's familiar gaze, making my own heart twist with pain.

"Give her to me." I addressed Rebekah again. She kept my gaze for a few seconds before slowly handing over the sleeping Davina. The girl was light as a feather in my arms as I left the company of vampires in the courtyard, heading up to her room.

* * *

"I know you don't want to talk to me." I recognized the voice of my fiancé from the entrance of the newly decorated bedroom. Instead of turning around and facing him, I reached out and brushed away a strand of chocolate-brown hair from Davina's face. She'd been turning restlessly in her sleep for the last half hour, mumbling the word 'Tim' over and over. "But I want to explain what happened today."

My vampire hearing caught Marcel leaning against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest.

"As you know, Klaus used Davina's friend Tim to lure her back here to the compound. When Rebekah interfered with his plan and saved both Davina and Tim from him, he'd already been one step ahead. So, being Klaus, he planned to kill them both, compelling Tim to poison himself and Davina." I kept watching Davina, but listened to Marcel keenly.

"I knew that Klaus would use whatever means to achieve his end with Davina. So I made a deal with Elijah. Together, we sought out one of the witches, Sabine, and made her put a protection spell on Davina. So when Tim poisoned her under compulsion, she survived."

I tilted my head to the side slowly, meeting his gaze. It was filled with anguish and deep-rooted hate.

"The same couldn't be said about Tim." My heart ached for the girl in the bed. Only sixteen, and she had already lost a loved one. And Tim, he hadn't been any older than her, when his life had been taken away from him. He'd never get to take her to prom. To propose to her, to marry her and have a family with her.

All because of Klaus.

I stood up from the bed and walked up to Marcel, stopping inches away from his face. I studied the familiar and beautiful features with my eyes; The soft lips, warm skin and intense eyes.

"I love you. You know that." Marcel whispered, relaxing his shoulders and brushing his large hand against my cheek, wiping away a tear that I hadn't known was running down my freckled cheek.

"I know." I drowned in his eyes to evade my heavy heart, smiling into his palm. "But I can't be with you if you're on his side."

"I'm not on his side, Juliette." Marcel said, keeping his eyes pinned on mine sternly. "I've never been on his side. I'm doing all of this to get him to leave."

"Good." I mumbled, looking past his shoulder into the empty hallway outside. I wondered if he was still down there in the courtyard, debating on how to eliminate me. He hadn't anticipated that I'd be a threat to him; There was no way to know what he would do next. "Can we stay here with Davina tonight?"

"Of course." Marcel leaned down and pressed his lips to mine gently, lifting the weight in my chest slightly.

* * *

I tried to sleep that night, but both my head and heart were filled with a storm. I had almost killed Klaus earlier that night. I had used _magic_ against him. But somehow I knew that it wasn't a permanent source of power. It hadn't been _me,_ cursing him.

And I couldn't help the bitter regret filling my heart when I thought of the fact that I'd held Klaus's life in my hands. And I'd let him go, not knowing that he'd tried to kill Davina. That he'd killed her close friend. I'd had the power to kill him, yet I'd thought that he deserved better.

He didn't. So silently, I got out of the bed, where I'd been squeezed up with Davina and Marcel. They were both snoring soundly, so I didn't have to be careful not to make any noise. Pulling on clothes in black to mask myself in the night, I then exited the room.

The streets of new Orleans were emptier now; The sun was about to rise, yet there were still humans parading in their wedding dresses and disguises. It made it easier for me to blend in with the crowd as I tried to find an empty alley away from any potential civilians. The feeling of being watched made the hairs stand up on my neck, so I led my stalkers further and further away from the partying humans.

I stopped as I reached a narrow passage, my silhouette catching shadows in the light of the lampposts.

"I know you're there. No need to hide." I called out, lowering the hood of my jacket, and turning on my heel. Sofia and Rachel were already standing in front of me, exchanging wicked smiles. Rachel was as always clad in high heels and an expensive-looking dress, while Sofia had settled for a more comfortable, and more efficient, outfit consisting of black jeans and a grey coat.

"Have you made your decision yet?" Rachel asked, brown eyes twinkling with excitement. I breathed in deeply and met her eyes without blinking, keeping my chin held high.

"The deal is on." My voice seemed twice as loud as it bounced against the brick walls of the alleyway. "I'll help you kill Klaus Mikaelson."

 **A/N: Ooohhh what mess has Juliette gotten herself into now? Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for reading this story and please leave me a comment to tell me what you thought of the chapter, you're the best 3**

 **~Emma~**


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